Soliloquy of Regret
by Green Raccoon
Summary: Yakko tries to cope with developing problems concerning his health and mental stability as Animaniacs draws to a close for the studio. The angry rift that starts to form between him and Wakko helps none as the studio has more than just the threat of career deaths looming over it this time.
1. Lament for the Future

_**I do not own Animaniacs or any of its characters. The idea that I could does entertain me though. Please enjoy this story as it's my first new fan fiction after quite a long absence from this site. My writing has improved since retiring from fan fiction though, so there should be no worries there.**_

_**Please review if you can. I love hearing from people. Even if it is a short message, it'll be greatly appreciated.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Lament for the Future**_

This was so much more annoying than Yakko had the tolerance to deal with right now. Maybe he should've opened with a joke.

"Yes sir. I understand that he-" Yakko had tried to get a word in but the studio lead, Thaddeus Plotz, simply slammed his fist on the desk and continued despite clearly having heard a retaliation forming on Yakko's lips.

"Than why don't you DO something about it? He's been driving me crazy these past few weeks. Or months. I'm starting to loose track of the time because of this frustration." Plotz gritted his teeth and pulled at his hair.

Yakko sighed. He wanted to do the same. If he had tried though, he might've tugged at his ears and ripped them off with enhanced force.

The two of them stayed there in silence for a bit after Plotz' mini-episode before the man in question let out a much more frustrated sigh than Yakko had wanted to let out himself and set his hands gently on the table.

"Do you have it?" He asked in a silent voice.

Yakko nodded and reached into his pocket, extracting a Golden Key with the "WB" symbol on it. He promptly set it down at the man's desk. Plotz sat back and wiped his face down in slight relief, not looking at the key or Yakko.

"… Good. You can go." The man finally choked out. The instant he did, Yakko, with his hands in his pockets and a tired look on his face, turned almost immediately to powerwalk out.

"Yakko…"

Yakko stopped.

"… Please, try and get it through to that brother of yours just how serious your situation is. I can't have him stealing something so important off the fly like that again. His actions and your late payments are starting to pile up against you. You either get your acts together or you won't have a place to live anymore." Plotz spoke as if reading from informative document.

"… Right… I understand…" Yakko said in response as he exited the room. Had he looked back he would've noticed a slightly concerned look on the man's face.

Yakko had mellowed out.

His usual zany and spastic self had been almost completely lost to the sands of time. He still talked a lot. He still was sarcastic as all hell. He still couldn't have lactose. It was still him but for the most part, he had changed. For better or worse, he couldn't tell, but the majority of the people he knew didn't seem to mind. Not even his brother and sister.

Throughout Animaniacs' run it was noticed how much calmer the oldest sibling had become as time passed him by. By the time the news hit that the show was ending he had barely acted like the way he did on the show anymore. That didn't change how hard the news came to him and the rest of the cast though. Everyone was currently dealing with it in their own way. Yakko was failing the hardest at it though.

The news had come early enough for Yakko to realize that the lowered amount of money he and his siblings were getting with each passing episode was starting to become a rather huge problem. It had gotten to the point where they could barely keep renting the water tower out. The people who ran the studio at this time weren't insane enough to toss them into it and lock them away for 60 years like before. It didn't solve much of anything. The studio still had a huge problem with keeping newly recruited cartoons under control.

When they came out they hadn't aged a day. It was really odd and stranger still, neither Plotz nor anyone else on the lot could tell them why. They didn't know. It was a good thing not too many people knew the fact that the part about them being in the tower was one of the few things on the show that was the real deal. Only Plotz, Dr. Scratchnsniff, Hello Nurse, and a few others who answer directly to the aforementioned boss really knew to his knowledge. Maybe Ralph did too but then again what would him knowing actually change? It was played up in the show as a makeshift origin story despite there being some truth behind it. People thought it was absurd, of course, just as they did when the Warners were shown beating Death in a game of checkers by cheating.

It had been all but dumb luck that they had been selected for release and given a new show in Animaniacs. It had been a success too; further proving that locking them away because, as the head of the studio from 60 years prior said, "They were the ones who gave the most problems yet had none of the potential for something great" was total bullcrap. It still peeved him that their lucky break came from the fact that the studio was running low on potential cartoon stars wanting to come to them only to maybe get a one-hit wonder and then end up living on the streets shortly after.

That's just how this world worked. Maybe if your hit was strong enough it'd be enough to carry you through your life but for Animaniacs, the money had to be shared and as the titular characters they didn't get enough of it to live on somehow. They had been coasting on luck shortly after episode 99 aired and the production of Wakko's Wish took about a year of kissing up to Plotz and borrowed money to make it through. They were now at a point when it was time to officially send off the show and for everyone to move on with their lives. The cast and crew farewell party has been scheduled and it'll come sooner than Yakko will want it to the way his luck had been going. The money that had been made from the movie had been a surprisingly well amount for a direct-to-video outing. He was still legitimately shocked at how people gravitated toward it. Thinking about it didn't inspire the best of feelings within him though. There were a few reviewers who said that putting the entire cast into it was a mistake.

A send off that didn't have everyone there? Seriously? Screw those guys.

Oh well. There was no time to think about that right now. His situation was only getting worse. He could practically feel the black hole forming at the edge of his pockets. Yakko's attempts to change that were going exactly nowhere and Wakko's behavior was just making it that much harder.

"… Darnit Wakko…" Yakko muttered as he reached the water tower.

Wakko knew their situation too but had decided to take it into his own hands on how to deal with it. Stealing, pestering innocent people, loafing about, and not doing a goddamn helpful thing were at the top of that list. Yakko let all his younger brother's exploits run through his mind as he climbed to the top. It made him angrier and angrier and he didn't wish to be honestly. He loved his brother and hated scolding him but this had been the final straw. When he found out that Wakko had stolen the Golden key to the company's most vital safe, it just blew his gasket. They could've gone directly to prison for that, despite their ages.

Yakko pushed the door open and peered his now angry eyes ahead. His little sister, and the youngest of the three Warners, Dot, stood beside the couch where the middle child, Wakko, sat while playing a video game. He had a very solemn and annoyed look on his face. It was as if Yakko had already started yelling at him.

"Wakko! Turn that junk off! I had to deal with your nonsense again so no games!" Yakko shouted in his direction.

Wakko slumped his head forward and stared directly into the T.V screen, as if doing so would somehow cause Yakko's voice to quiet down and muse him to go away. It only made it louder.

"I'm talking to you! Over here!" Yakko stomped over and stood directly in front of the screen, which immediately set Wakko off despite his determination to not be phased by Yakko's "older brother mode".

"Darnit! What is it?" Wakko shouted at his brother's intrusive body.

"You know exactly what I'm talking to you about. That incredibly stupid move you pulled where you stole Plotz' sacred key."

"He was asking for it." Wakko was swift with his words. "Hopefully he learned a lesson about keeping that thing at the edge of his pocket because his wallet was too fat for it to go in all the way." He shot back, ignoring that Plotz had a second pocket that most likely held his wallet just fine.

Dot watched the scene with an uncomfortable look on her face. She hated these fights. They were a lot more frequent than they used to be and Dot could never find the drive to interrupt. Whenever she did, she'd either be ignored or told to shut up anyway.

"Right, I'm totally sure he was. Just as you're asking for the three of us to be kicked out of here or thrown in the slammer. Am I right?" Yakko bent over a bit to face Wakko. Wakko simply looked to the side to avoid his gaze.

"If I hadn't been caught, we could've worked a plan out to extract all the money we needed whenever we wanted. It was worth a shot." Wakko's retort came rather coldly. It was a reply that made it seem like he was pinning Yakko as the one who didn't care about his family.

"No it was not "Worth a shot". All it did was make the studio even more intolerant of us, which may I remind you, we can't afford to have happening to us as of now." Yakko pressed on.

"Why not? The rate you're going, we'll be starved and homeless in no time. At least I was being creative rather than kissing Plotz' stout behind whenever I could." Wakko let his gaze fixate slightly on Yakko as he said that.

"Trying to do things the right way instead of assuredly making it worse for us is most certainly going to land us on the streets quicker. You know this. Screw creativity. I'm afraid how much of a potential for art you have matters little when you're too busy stealing from the studio head!" Yakko shouted, not even noticing how Dot had backed away slightly.

"He deserved it! He knows what situation we're in and he can't just let us live here?" Wakko asked.

"It doesn't work like that Wakko! Someone has to pay for the rent to this place. We're the residents here so that's us!"

"And where are you gonna get the money? Those loans and that cash you have stored up can only carry us so far. I haven't had a decent meal in weeks, BIG brother. " Wakko emphasized the "Big" as if to taunt his status. Yakko had to admit. Wakko was great at pushing his buttons.

"You're a garbage disposal. Eat normally like the rest of us and maybe you wouldn't have a problem." Was the older sibling's retort.

"You're just making excuses now."

"No I'm not! Everytime you do something stupid like this, I have to take the heat from Plotz and that means more money coming out of my pocket that I don't have! Stop fooling around and get your act together! This isn't funny Wakko! You're practically driving us into the gutter!"

If there was a reply to be stated, Wakko couldn't think of it quick enough.

"… Whatever." Wakko tossed the controller on the couch and marched off to his room. Yakko watched him go with a face frozen in anger before it melted away at the sound of Wakko's door slamming. As if that sound were somehow a switch to Yakko's exterior, he immediately slumped onto the couch with his body draped over the cushions. All that yelling had probably gotten him nowhere.

"… God…DAMMIT Wakko!" Yakko shouted and punched the arm of the couch, with his head buried into the cushion at the farthest edge. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why his brother insisted on acting this way! Whereas Yakko had changed throughout the coarse of Animaniacs run, granting him a calmer, slightly parental aspect about himself, Wakko's change was as immediate as the show's ending. That's what caused it. He was so bitter and ignorant now. It was a direct contrast to the happy, smiling, fun-loving and surprisingly caring younger brother from before.

Dot had changed too… though it wasn't a drastic change like Wakko's. She had just gotten quieter and more reserved than before. He couldn't even remember the last time he saw her laugh that cute, dorky laugh of hers really. Yakko turned his head and saw Dot standing there with her arms behind her back, a delicate frown on her face.

Oh yeah… she was in the room too… Dammit.

Yakko sat up and sighed before smiling. "You hungry?"

Dot managed a tiny smile and shook her head, despite her hand placing itself gently on her stomach.

Yakko stared at her as if analyzing the scene and smiled again. He hoped off the couch, walked over, and pulled her into a genuine hug. She hugged him back instantly.

"You're not lying right? You don't have to. We can still afford food despite what Wakko said." Yakko mused.

"… I know… but somehow I doubt you'd eat anything we got." Dot said back.

She was right. Yakko's eating habits have been rather spastic and strange for a long while now. It was even worse considering…

Yakko suddenly let go of Dot and turned to cough. He coughed hard and loudly for about 30 seconds before clearing his throat and shaking his head. Dot's frown returned.

"… Besides which, I think it's better to save up what we can for treatment of your illness." Dot finished.

"It's just a bug. A really, really annoying bug that won't go away…" Yakko said, effectively knowing he had no idea what he was talking about. It was obvious to Dot, to him, to Wakko even, that he was sick. At first it wasn't a big deal. The cough came and stayed for a few days. Than those days turned to weeks and those weeks into months. During that time, Yakko had woken up in very cold sweats, feeling chilly despite the relatively warm temperature of the Water Tower. He would spontainously get dizzy spells time and again and even passed out once before. It was all very odd and seemingly arose from no where.

What was even scarier was the fact that despite him being obviously sick, no one had been able to pin-point what exactly it was that Yakko had. Hello Nurse didn't know. The main doctors didn't know. It was a mystery to pretty much everyone that they could afford to have it looked at. The symptoms didn't seem all that different from an intense cold but that did little to convince him.

"At this point I don't think either of us will buy that." Dot started up again.

"… Yeah I know. You're not stupid. Neither is Wakko, believe it or not." Sighing as he admitted it, Yakko stumbled to the couch again and sat down. He had just realized how big a headache he suddenly had. This stress was not the best medicine for whatever it was he had caught. He buried his head into his hands while contemplating all this at once.

He was too young to have all this weight on his shoulders. It was too much. Way too much.

Yakko felt Dot's hand on his shoulder suddenly. Yakko looked up slightly to see her staring back at him with that same sad yet concerned smile he had grown used to seeing so often.

"You need a tissue? Maybe a shoulder?" Dot smiled.

Yakko didn't know what she was talking about at first but than realized it when he saw his eyes blur. Apparently he had been tearing up without noticing it. Yakko looked stunned before smirking and rubbing his eyes. He than put his head on Dot's shoulder and rubbed his cheek into it.

"Yes. That'd be lovely mommy. Tell me a story while you're at it." He joked, which made Dot chuckle lightly.

"You're still an expert at playing this stuff off. Don't ever lose that ability of yours okay?" She challenged.

Yakko lifted his head up and wiped the slight dampness on his face away. "No need to worry. I've got sarcastic quips to last a lifetime." He said resisting the urge to add that he wished for the money to match it.

Dot stayed by his side a little longer in order to make sure he was okay entirely before going off to bed when she thought he was currently feeling alright. As soon as she was gone though, the smile Yakko had worked up disappeared and he shoved his face into his hands once more.

He sat there with the clock ticking seemingly louder than usual on the wall. It always seemed to do that in the dead of night. He let it ring in his ears for a good while longer before slapping his lap and standing up. He paced the room, went into the kitchen just to open the fridge door and close it a few times and then eventually settled for keeping himself stood up against the counter with his eyes drilling into the floor.

He stayed like that for a long time as well.

Eventually, that time was up too.

"… Still nothing. I can't think of a single thing…" Yakko concluded.

With that, he finally decided to retire to bed. Going to bed always seemed like the best course of action to follow up whatever situation had happened during the day. When you're asleep, the world and its problems can't reach you.

He'd wish for it to last forever but if it did then he might as well be dead.

* * *

The next morning, Yakko found himself trouncing around the Warner Bros. lot. He had been looking for someone kind enough to give him a ride to the store to spare him the unbearably long walk or the bus full of creepy people but so far had not managed to get anywhere.

Eventually he found himself at the front of the main office building with his back to the side of the wall. He let out a tremendously frustrated and gritty sigh and stamped his foot on the ground. Not even that got the attention of those passing by.

"Maybe if I screamed like Chewbacca and lit myself on fire they'd at least glance in my direction…" Yakko said bitterly. If only he could remember how to be annoyingly imposing on people's everyday lives like before. However, considering how crappy his everyday life had become, inconveniencing the lives of others seemed like a villainous thing to do.

"Hello Yakko."

Yakko looked up immediately at the mention of his name and smiled brightly at the person in front of him.

It was Co-star and friend, Skippy Squirrel.

"Skippy. Kiddo, how ya been?" He asked, standing straight up now. It was an attempt to look a lot more grown up than he had felt he'd been acting recently.

"I'm fine." Skippy, the little boy responded with a cheeky smile. "I'm just here to pick up Aunt Slappy's final pay-check for the show."

"Oh… off to see Mr. Plotz than…" Yakko turned toward the building's front door. He didn't know why, but he looked and felt disappointed.

"… You okay? You look a little down. Is that cold you have gone yet?" Skippy asked, a heartfelt bit of concern in his voice.

Yakko decided to lie. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm just looking for a ride to the store."

"You want to use my bike?" Skippy chimed in almost immediately.

"Y-Your bike? You have a bike? Where is it?" Yakko stopped himself before he continued on, thinking himself a bit too eager to see it. He stood his ground and scratched his cheek with his finger while looking to the side.

"I'm guessing that's a yes." Skippy spoke up again, his face looking uncharacteristically smug.

Yakko sighed, now blushing for some reason. "Right. Obvious aren't I? Still, I can't accept-"

"It's fine. I used it to get here but I prefer walking and using the trees to get wherever _I_ need to go. We got it for free at a Garage Sale and I was planning on selling the thing again anyway. It's too tacky looking for most people's tastes. Take it. Really." Skippy shoved the key to the lock of the two-wheeler into Yakko's hand to seal the deal and strolled to the door. It didn't seem like he wanted Yakko's consent at all.

"W-Wait! I can't… I-I mean…" Yakko stuttered and looked flustered. It didn't help when he saw Skippy looking back at him with the cleanest, nicest smile he had received from anyone all day.

"… I-I mean… thank you… I'll… take good care of it."

"Hehe. You're welcome. It's right there on that bike rack behind you. See ya." With that Skippy closed the door behind him as he went into the office. Yakko mentally smacked himself for not remembering that there was a back rack right there. He must've been really out of it in relation to his surroundings.

Was that another side effect to whatever it was he had for a sickness?

Yakko shook his head and decided not to dwell on it. He had been granted a gift from heaven in the form of a little boy's bicycle. As embarrassing as it was he was going to accept it. He needed to get to the store and pick up something for them to finally eat aside from scraps and leftovers.

"I just hope Wakko doesn't cause any trouble while I'm gone. If it's not one thing it's another."

* * *

Daytime passed and the night time sky shown with stars across the sky. Another day had come and gone for the town of Burbank.

"I'm back Aunt Slappy." Skippy chimed in happily as he skipped into his house and swiftly shut the door behind him. There his Aunt was, sitting on her favorite chair, flipping through channels from sheer constant boredom but with a smile on her face none the less.

"Fantastic. You got the check right?" Slappy asked turning toward her nephew.

"They were eager to give yours to me in cash." Skippy smirked.

"Haha! That's just wonderful." Slappy turned off the T.V and let Skippy walk up to hand over the envelope. "You got yours too right?"

"Yup. It's a cool haul as always. I'm gonna make waves with this money." Skippy remarked. He had several checks stockpiled from his cartoons on Animaniacs and it excited him. Slappy looked him over and wondered if his young mind would be able to fathom that full time characters that started out at around Skippy's age used to make much more than that and still ended up living the life of a low class citizen. That tends to happen more when you associate with the Warner Bros Lot for some reason. Now that she thought about it, it probably would've been a good idea to accompany Skippy, as she'd have been able to kill two birds with one stone had she snooped around for a bit in regards to-

Slappy shook her head as she realized she was deep in thought while Skippy was pouring out his plans for the future. How heartless. Even for someone like her, she figured.

"All that sounds awesome, right Aunt Slappy? I'm gonna make it big after this. Like Bugs Bunny maybe." Skippy chirped happily.

"Or me! Just in case you wanna go the extra mile!" Slappy grinned.

Skippy rushed in to hug her. "I'd never be as good as you Aunt Slappy."

"… Aww. I'm touched. Truly. But don't ever limit yourself like that. The world is a tougher place to make it in as a cartoon than you think. Yeah, I'm talented for sure but I'm also confident and stubborn as all hell." Slappy said while sitting Skippy on her lap.

Slappy was truly a successful cartoon veteran. Not only did she have a hit selection of cartoons from her hay-day that granted her a considerable amount of fame and awards but she also managed to get back into the lime-light with her run in Animaniacs. Someone as old as her coming back into cartoons as the lead of her own shorts had been virtually unheard of. Was it too much to hope for something better for Skippy?

"Okay. I'll remember that than." Skippy chuckled. Slappy couldn't help but love that smile of his. Maybe she was just a sucker for how unconditional his love for her was. "I hope Yakko gets back on his feet soon though."

"Eh? Why? Something happen to him?" Slappy asked. Controversy was something she needed to be apart of.

"He seems a lot sadder than usual. I dunno… " Skippy slumped a bit with a sigh before perking up with a question. "They were locked in that Water Tower for 60 years right? I heard they're paying rent for it now. What sense does that make?"

"…" Slappy was tapping her foot and thinking. That comment about those 60 years got her thinking about it again…

Skippy seemed to notice this and looked her over quizzingly before a rather innocent answer to his own question popped into his head.

"Oh yeah! No duh! It's because they made that up for the show. Sorry, my brain lapsed for a second there. Guess I was a bit too angry." Skippy prodded on. "Something like that would have to mean they didn't age at all while inside of it right? That's not possible. I mean, you're a little over 60 yourself Aunt Slappy and you've aged too."

"… Yeah…" Slappy spoke solemnly before butting in again. "… But there's some truth to that 60 years comment…"

"Huh?" Skippy perked up. "R-Really?"

"… There don't exist any cartoons who can live for over 60 years and not age considerably like I do. Some have a unique ability to keep their body in their prime, certainly, but not all. In order for me to do that, I'd have to go in for Cartoon Surgery and the idea itself already fills me with dread. How Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse can continuously do that without their pride being shredded to pieces confuses the hell outta me. Than again that process costs money; the kind of money you can only have if you were a Loony Toon or a member of the House of Mouse. Anyway, our lives CAN, not WILL but they CAN, last considerably longer than a human's. But our times all come eventually and our bodies reflect that. Any random person ignorant to how cartoons are, and trust me when I say that there are literally millions of people like that, won't bat an eye when we say they were locked in a tower for 60 years and came out looking exactly the same. For the rest of us… it's creepy. Really, really creepy." Slappy explained. A torrent of words had just exploded from her mouth in a sudden burst.

It was like she was finally letting something huge get off her chest.

"… Y-You're saying that… them being in the tower for 60 years is the truth… and there don't exist any cartoons who can stay that young for so long so… I don't… " Skippy looked genuinely shocked. What did this mean?

Slappy was slowly realizing the magnitude of what she was revealing to Skippy but figured that, as of now, there was no point in turning back. It was still just a hunch but Skippy was smart. He could handle being let in on this secret.

"… Here. Let me show you something interesting." Aunt Slappy, quickly brought up her purse and flipped through the items inside for something. The sudden action took Skippy by surprise.

"What is it?"

"Hang on a sec. Here we go."

Slappy held up a stack of pictures and put it forth in front of her and Skippy so he could see clearly.

"I want to test your intuitive skills a bit. Here's a picture of the Warner Brothers lot and the tower at the center taken just a few weeks ago." Slappy spoke with a sly stillness to her voice. It didn't go unnoticed. Skippy knew that something was up.

"Okay…" Skippy remarked simply as he grabbed the stack for himself.

"Flip back a photo and you'll see a picture of the same thing taken 5 years ago." She spoke again. Skippy did so, and he saw the same thing. "Keep flipping. It goes further down the time-line."

Skippy continued to do so. With each picture he flipped a different year was revealed onto him.

"10 years ago."

"20 years ago."

"30 years ago."

Did Aunt Slappy take all these pictures by herself? Why? And for what reason?

"40 years ago."

"50 years ago."

"60 years ago."

Skippy flipped through them all until he eventually reached the last one; a picture taken from the 1930s.

"… Every year… you go and take a picture of the Water Tower? Why?" Skippy asked finally.

Slappy smiled and looked straight ahead, as if leering into the past. "I was acentric when I was a little girl and I like the view. I'm old but I'm not ancient though, so I doubt I was able to even hold a camera at that age. I think right now, I'm 60-something but whatever. I've never been too big on birthdays aside from yours."

Skippy would've made a comment on how silly it was to not know your own age but he decided against it.

"It was something I did off the fly the first two times but I started to look into it on purpose some time later at a time when the head of the studio pointed out something interesting about the tower. The people on the lot barely go anywhere close to it. No maintenance or work is done on it at all. So why is it there? Don't know. Still don't. But the pictures reveal onto me something even crazier." Slappy explained and pointed at the stack in Skippy's hands.

"What's that?" Skippy asked, wanting to know where this was going.

"Come now. You're smart. Look through them again." Slappy urged.

Skippy nodded and flipped through them all some more. It was the same lot with the same picture of the same water tower at the center. Nothing was different. Absolutely nothing. They all looked the same.

The second that sentence fluttered across his mind it hit him like a ton of bricks.

With that realization also came a very eerie sensation.

"The water tower… in every picture… it looks exactly the same…"

Over 60 years of standing in the center of the lot without maintenance or an upgrade.

Not a single thing about it was different.


	2. Shatter

_**I'm very happy with the feedback from last chapter. It was better than I expected for the first chapter of the new story. To those who are reading**__**, I thank you so much. I'll churn out more and more. Here's chapter 2.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Shatter**_

It was just one of those days

Bored out of their skulls and waiting for their call in with the studio head in order to receive their final paychecks, they flew over the lot to take a good last look at the place they had basically called home for the entirety of the show's run.

The Goodfeathers: Bobby, Pesto, and Squit, had been flying over every garage, car, trashcan, and bench for well over an hour. They hoped in vain that a carrier pigeon would hurry by and give them the news that they were finally ready to be paid. Of course, in all honesty, they weren't in too much of a hurry. None of them would admit it but with the finale for the cast and crew being over the horizon, they relished in being able to take this chance to look over the Warner Brothers lot one last time.

Pesto sputtered in mid-air and shivered something fierce for a good two seconds. The action was abrupt and spontaneous enough to warrant Bobby and Squit to stop flying and turn to him with questioning glances.

"What're you lookin' at?" Came an annoyed Pesto. It was a response you'd expect from him.

"You. That's the second time I've seen you just shiver and stop like that when we were out flying like this." Bobby remarked and flew to his friends' side with Squit right on his heels.

"It's not me. It's just an involuntary reflex I sometimes get when I feel uncomfortable." Pesto felt the need to correct him. He noticed Squit wasn't looking at them and instead had taken an interest in the monument below them.

It was the Water Tower.

"We fly by all the time so I've gotten used to it." Squit began voicing their collective thoughts. " But I keep forgetting that the air above this tower is always cold."

The remark garnered three seconds of silence between them. Thinking about it suddenly made them all feel it now.

"… Forget about it. I've got a game we can play." Pesto perked up and rushed forward.

"Whoa! Hey! Don't zip by like a storm hawk on me! What game?" Bobby shouted after him. Squit laughed and followed along as well.

They all felt considerably warmer as they left the Water Tower behind.

* * *

Cough. Sputter. Choke. Whimper.

That was the process Yakko was going through now as he lied on the dirt at the side of the long walk-way leading back to the Water Tower. It wasn't that far off. At least it wouldn't be to a regular person. For Yakko, it might as well have been on the other side of the world.

His coughing fit had started again as he had gone down the road to the store. When he had reached his destination, everything seemed relatively well. He had gone through the selection the store had offered and picked out what he thought would be best for his siblings. Making sure not to totally ignore anything healthy but also striving to keep close to the things he knew they would find delectable wasn't as hard a task as he thought it would be. After all, Yakko was a kid too. He didn't like anything too disgustingly healthy.

He paid for what he could and left the store with quite a bit of time to spare. The sun was setting, sure, but all in all, it wasn't too bad of a gap between when he left and his readiness to head on back.

That was before his coughing fit turned into a choking fit. The choking fit was a far worse offset from the coughing one as it left him unable to accurately draw in air for breathing sometimes. This was one of those cases where he felt that he couldn't afford to drop like a stone and wait it out like he had done before. However, because his luck was crappy, it also turned out to be one of those cases where his body wouldn't have given him a choice.

Yakko had forced himself to keep cycling on but the pain in his chest and the obstruction of air was unbearable. One more forceful push than necessary to reach an inch more dirt ahead than the spot he was currently at on his way home had caused him to topple over and hit the ground hard. He stayed there, coughing and choking, blissfully unaware of how many people were heartlessly passing him by without so much as a voice for concern.

Sunset turned into nighttime and by now, Yakko felt tortured. He had tried to get up several times only for him to topple back over and continue grasping for strength that wasn't there. It continued until finally he located some and was ready to go again. It wasn't too terribly late. He could still make it back home in time for dinner without his sibs worrying about what was taking him so long. He could manage to dodge the subject of his illness once again and keep them from being worried like before.

With that in mind and with painful tears strolling down his face, Yakko forced him and the bike back up and got into a pedaling position. He sighed heavily and looked ahead. His vision was so blurry. He knew it wasn't just from his tears this time too. Grunting with a huff of admirable effort, he pushed forward.

He stopped. He pushed forward again. And then he stopped again.

This was pathetic. He slapped his face and shook his head hard to clear the cobwebs before starting up and not allowing himself to stop. He pedaled and pedaled hard until eventually, he made his way back into the lot. Thunderous applause should've started before him as he reached his destination outside the water tower. To him, that feat was worthy of it.

As he skidded to a stop, he briefly looked around for any kind of obstruction to prop his newly acquired bicycle up against. Without giving it too much thought, he settled for keeping it on stand-by at the base of the tower. It's giant red legs would be enough to let people know that it was there's. Hopefully, the unspoken rule of "Don't cross the Warners" was still in effect enough not to warrant a possible theft.

Yakko managed to take in a deep breath. He couldn't explain it but being back at home had made him feel slightly better.

No time to dwell on weirdness like that though. He had dinner to deliver.

Yakko made his way up the ladder of the tower with surprising ease. He honestly couldn't believe he hadn't passed out half way up. Again, nothing he needed to think too hard about. These bouts with dizziness and fatigue were annoying but refreshingly they came in short bursts that allowed for him to complete whatever task he had been doing. Never mind that these dizzy spells were becoming more and more frequent. As the big brother, it was his job to handle it. He didn't need his siblings obsessing over his health. He just needed them to be well taken care of.

"Dottie, I'm home!" Yakko shouted inside the tower. His call echoed to the ears of both his sibs and made for quite the grand entrance of the youngest one first. This meant she was playfully peeved at Yakko for calling her "Dottie" just like he had expected her to be.

"I wonder why I haven't killed you yet." Dot spoke and followed him into the kitchen. Yakko laughed as he took the supplies out and began preparing an easily accessible dinner.

"Oh you know why. The loveable lug of the bunch just can't be swayed away by sisterly threats." The older brother's reply came rather sharply. Dot crossed her arms and sat down, seeming to have accepted that answer. She rarely ever talked back at him nowadays, even when they were just playing around. It was so depressing. He wished she would go back to how she usually was.

About have way through preparing a platter of pre-cooked chicken and potatoes, Yakko felt the need to act upon the fact that Wakko still hadn't come out to greet him. He knew in his gut that his bro had heard him come in.

"… Wakko!" Yakko began shouting. "Dinner!"

There wasn't a response in the form of words immediately. It wasn't until they heard the door creaking open and shutting behind itself that they were given something audible.

"Coming."

Wakko trudged in with his hands at his sides. His eyes were soulless and understandably tired. Still, they weren't expressing a desire to head back. Food was food and Wakko was always ready to eat.

Despite Wakko's uncomfortable entrance, Yakko managed to work up the courage to face his younger brother with a smile. Wakko looked at Yakko and felt the twinge of a cramped, awkward air about him. Those pathetic, hopeful eyes of his made Wakko sigh and sit down without a word.

They sat and chewed on their food in a silence that would've been unheard of months prior to the announcement of their show's cancellation. It wasn't the happy or relaxing kind of silence Yakko had heard their dear Dr. Scratchnsniff speak so fondly of on numerous occasions.

Yakko was a talker. He couldn't stand not speaking when he really wanted to. Looking at the faces of his siblings as he ate really made him want to talk but just reinforced why it'd probably be a terrible idea to try. Dot was shyly stealing glances to both her brothers as she pecked at her food wearily. Wakko had full blown dived in and swallowed chicken after potato after chicken in a steadfast process. His facial expression stayed streamlined and intolerable. It made Yakko flinch and grit his teeth behind closed lips. Even when he didn't have anything to say he was always trying to talk. That's why whenever he was stumped for what word he wanted to come out next, he'd always stretch out a huge "Ahhhhhh" to avoid having to close his mouth.

He had to say something. Anything!

"Still a quick eater I see." Yakko turned to his brother and let that sentence slip out. It pierced the silence like a spear to the stomach and made Dot shiver a bit. She couldn't explain to herself why.

"…" Wakko stopped eating for a millisecond and shifted his eyes toward his older brother. The look he was giving would've made a puppy hide under the covers in fear. For Yakko, it was expected, but that didn't mean he really welcomed it.

"You're not going to blame me if we run out of food again are you?" Wakko finally spoke. Yakko also hated it when Wakko's responses came with that bitter aftertaste.

"No. That's not what I was getting at. I'm just glad there's some things about you that haven't changed is all."

That could've been phrased better.

"Oh really? I've changed that much huh?" Wakko's speech was becoming much sterner. "I guess being told my career was being halted just throws me right the fuck off."

Obsessive language. This conversation was taking a dive and quick.

"There's no need to get angry. Or for you to curse. I was just-" Yakko began but was interrupted.

"Trying to make conversation? Hate to break it to you Yakko, but I'm not in the best mood for it right now. I doubt pointing out how much of a disturbing husk of my former self I've become is supposed to entice me to talk more." Wakko's voice got louder.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, I know I get on your case a lot but there's a good reason for it." Yakko's tone hinted at wanting to steer this conversation into a more positive direction. However, Wakko's astringent replies were making Yakko angry as well. It must've also shown in his voice as Wakko wasn't having that.

"A good reason hmm? You relish in the idea that I could behave and be just as good a butt kisser as you?"

"I do what I do to protect and provide for you guys! Why are you trying to make that sound like such a bad thing?"

"Because_ you_ always do when I try to take matters into my own hands!"

"Yeah! I do, because what you're doing is more harmful than not!"

They had started fighting. Yakko hadn't meant to but they had started and neither one could stop. Dot had closed her eyes tightly and resounded to keeping her head nodding downward.

The back and forth went on despite Dot's wish for it to disappear into a quiet chasm of unpleasantness and never be seen or heard from again. It was almost as if Yakko, just by talking to him, had set off some sort of trigger inside of Wakko that told him to completely denounce his older brother. She could steal hear it. It was still going on.

Wakko's rage wouldn't settle. He wasn't going to let Yakko get the better of him over this. He shot back comment after comment and made sure each one had some sort of seasoning to them that Yakko would hate. Eventually, it all came full-circle, back where they had started from and it was Wakko's turn to fire back.

"That approach of yours to just believe really hard in the power of hope and prosperity is what's leaving us in debt! Just grow up and do what we have to do in order to survive! Stop abiding by everyone else's rules when they're the ones screwing you over!"

Grow up? Despite everything else Wakko had said, Yakko let those two words flare harshly in his mind and clenched his fists as he graciously allowed those two simple words to take command of his emotions. He was going off the deep end.

"Grow up? You of all people are telling me to grow up? So taking a grown up stance against the poverty we're diving into is stealing, doubling our chance for arrest, and squandering our chances to keep money and food readily available for us? Huh? Is that what growing up is to you, you moron? You act like a worthless crimin-"

"LIKE A WHAT?" Wakko's loud, booming voice would've scared a flock of pigeons away. All at once what Yakko had been ready to call his brother and the magnitude of what such a claim would mean hit him dead on like an arrow piercing into his skull.

"L-Like a-"

"LIKE THIS!" Wakko promptly tossed the glass plate he was eating from at the wall behind Yakko. It shattered on impact which made Dot yelp lightly and Yakko flinch. "ACTING LIKE THAT? RIGHT?"

For the first time since this whole mess started, he was effectively afraid of his little brother.

"Acting like a what?" Wakko was standing up straight now, demanding an answer. Daring Yakko to finish his statement.

But Yakko was quiet now and staring down at his plate. He was doing whatever he could to keep from looking at Wakko's eyes. The heat surrounding him in the kitchen was unbearable all of a sudden. He'd probably start choking because of it if he wasn't feeling so tense.

Yakko heard the chair Wakko was sitting on hit the floor followed by damning, angry stomps back to his room. It was complete with the ever effective slamming of his bedroom door.

That sound signaled a return to the cold and dead atmosphere that had been plaguing the dinner table for an undetermined amount of time.

Yakko stared at his plate and shut his eyes. Squeezed them shut to be exact. He didn't need any tears coming on now. Especially considering how many he had caught a glimpse coming from Dot as she sat across from him.

She was shaking. She let out tiny little whimpers and gasps. She was scared. Of course she was scared. Yakko was scared too. What just happened was very scary.

Never in all their years had the threat of such violence stirred between them. The thought made Yakko bite his lip. He curled and uncurled his hands. He soaked in the light blubbering that Dot was doing. It was obvious she was trying desperately not to cry too hard. For his sake or hers, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that the fact that she was crying at all made him feel tremendously ashamed of himself.

He had been the one who initiated the talking. Maybe he didn't know where the talk would lead but he didn't expect another fight to happen so soon. It must've meant that Wakko was getting worse as the days drew on. Yet here he was, allowing Wakko to blow a gasket and frighten his little sister. What kind of older brother allows that? Hell, how'd he even let it get to this point?

However angry Wakko was, the fact of the matter to Yakko was that he had instigated that fight. Whether he wanted to or not, it happened the way it did because of him. He was convinced of that despite any of the other factors an onlooker could've pointed out in his defense.

He had used the word "Worthless". He had almost called him a "criminal". It was in the same realm as a mother calling her child a "Mistake" or an "abomination"to them.

He didn't care how mad, or maybe even how dangerous, Wakko was right now. He needed to set this right. He was going to apologize.

The instant Yakko moved to do so though, he felt himself let off a violent cough. He kept coughing and hacking until he was forced to go down on one knee to keep his body focused on remaining composed. Dot had already looked up at him when the first cough reached her eyes and scurried over to Yakko's side when more kept coming. She patted his back, rubbed it down, and even offered him a glass of water. Yakko was grateful for her concerned, almost motherly response. It made him feel warm on the inside. He desperately needed that feeling.

"Are you okay?" Dot asked with her cracked voice. She had definitely been doing some impressive holding back. Her eyes were bloodshot red and her face was wet all the way down to the chin. She was trying so hard to remain as calm as anyone could in this situation.

Unlike the supposed older brother who asserted that yelling and screaming was A-Okay. Was it possible for Yakko to feel even more like crap?

"I'm… going to be okay." Yakko had wanted to say that he was fine, but lying to her didn't fall within his interests at the moment. "Just let me go talk to Wakko."

Dot's face when he said that was a mix of confusion and worry. Her lip quivered as if she was getting ready to say something but it died down and instead Yakko was given a submissive nod. Yakko mentally thanked her for that.

He stood himself up completely now and wandered out of the kitchen and toward Wakko's room directly. He didn't blink. He didn't sigh. He just stopped and stared at the door for a few seconds.

His eyes widened and his ears perked up. He knew what the very faint sound on the other end was but he didn't think Wakko's next course of action would lead to that. Yakko didn't even bother knocking once he realized the reality of the situation though. The knob was turned and the door was opened, successfully allowing him inside with zero resistance.

He wasn't wrong. At the bedside he could see the corner of Wakko's eye staring right back at him while the rest of his face was buried within his pillow. His eyes were bloodshot and his face and pillow were drenched.

Yeah. He was definitely crying.

Wakko shut his eyes tightly and buried the rest of his face into the pillow as Yakko made his way over. He knew full well that despite the tears, Wakko's anger was still very fresh and hot. If the plate throwing from earlier was any indication, he would need to watch himself less he suffer an injury.

It disgusted him thinking about taking precaution against his little brother as if he were a dangerous maniac though.

Once Yakko reached the bedside he was met with a response so immediate that Yakko hadn't the time to even open his own mouth.

"Just go away."

That was it. Hearing it the way Wakko had said it made Yakko feel like his heart had been squeezed. He didn't even know how to go about this the right way. He figured it best to just say what he came here to say first so that if he was thrown out of the room he wouldn't have that as his biggest regret.

"I'm sorry."

Wakko was silent. He stayed silent for about 20 seconds before responding.

"You're sorry…" Wakko turned his head to face his big brother. His own bloodshot eyes locked with Yakko's and were stuck there. "… for what?"

Yakko looked down. "For… instigating that fight. That really wasn't my intention… It's just… I have this desire for talk. I can't not talk. You know how it is."

Wakko sighed rather heavily and sat up. His fur was a bit matted. "Yeah. I do."

"… Plus… You and me…" Yakko felt he was finally getting somewhere with him for some reason, despite the little amount of actual spoken words between them here. "… We haven't really been … close to one another for quite a long time. It wears a big brother out being so spurned."

Wakko's face lowered. He sat there quietly with his hands curled before looking at the side. A look of pure hatred washed over him. It scared Yakko and made him wonder if he had somehow screwed up again.

"I can't forgive them."

"Them who?" Yakko asked, already having an idea as to what his brother meant.

"Plotz. Those people at the studio. They took our show away. I loved… I loved that show." Wakko choked out. "And I… I wanted to make them pay for it. I still do."

Yakko normally would've interjected with a line about how that was wrong but he couldn't pass up on a chance to finally hear the motivations behind his brother's behavior.

"I figure… If I can sneak some way around them and make it so that they pay for what happens to us next than it'd be like getting even. Ya know?" Wakko spoke truthfully. He had no idea why he was suddenly pouring this out to his brother. Now that he had started, he couldn't stop though. "I don't have that much power and I usually end up getting caught anyway… so whatever I do doesn't work and… ultimately makes things worse for us… "

He had admitted it. He already knew it was wrong. So than why? Why couldn't he see that it was much better to put his revenge on the backburner for the sake of his siblings?

Yakko couldn't relay to his brother an accurate enough or fast enough response. Quite frankly, he was more than a little shocked at how vile Wakko's intentions truly were.

"… Your cheek is bleeding. I'm sorry." Wakko spoke up again. Yakko blinked in shock and touched the side of his face. He was indeed bleeding. A shard from that plate must've got him. It wasn't a very big cut but one look at Wakko's face after feeling it and Yakko knew that his brother was finally becoming unable to contain himself again.

"It's okay. We were both running on pure emotion back there-" Yakko began. He wanted to make sure Wakko stayed calm. However, the younger brother wouldn't have it.

"No! It's not okay." Wakko's voice cracked and he rubbed at his eyes as they began to dampen again. "I hurt you. I made you draw blood. All because I was mad that you weren't happy with my ideals. I feel even worse knowing that I still… I still can't get over it. I still want to make them pay..."

Hearing that didn't make Yakko any happier. He needed to remain stern despite Wakko's crying.

"Wakko… I know you loved our show but-"

"It's not just about that. I'm scared, okay! We're all on our way to becoming total bums. Forgotten about and tossed out on the street like an annoying memory. What are Buster, Babs, and the rest of the Tiny Toons gang doing now? They made like two or three cameos on our show but then disappeared shortly after we got to see them again. Have you seen them in anything else?"

"I-"

"NO! Of course you haven't! Their times came and went and now it's our turn!"

Wakko was hysterical now. The fear of the unknown was overwhelming him. Yakko needed to bring back the composure. As the older brother, it was his mission to try.

"Wakko. We're talented and we've got credentials. It's not like if our show is cancelled we immediately hop out onto the street corner and go begging for loose chance. We're at a stage in our lives where we need to stabilize ourselves and move on to bigger and better things." Yakko tried his best to explain.

"But I like doing THIS though! There's nothing else I think I'd be good at. And even if I was, it's not like we have any real chance." Wakko blurted out. He instantly regretted doing so though. The change in Yakko's facial expression was as immediate as his thoughtless response.

No real chance?

"… No real chance at what? Getting back on our feet?" Yakko asked, taken aback.

Wakko sat there quietly and looked down at his feet. Yakko recognized that as the stance of a person who had admitted something they didn't mean too. Yakko pressed on. He had to know if what Wakko had just said meant what he thought it did.

"I know you had your own reasoning for doing all this but… is part of that reasoning due to you not believing in my ability to get us out of this rut?" Yakko sounded like he had been smacked across the face.

Wakko's silence didn't help in the slightest.

"… You don't believe in me… at all?" The now solemn older brother muttered just loud enough for Wakko's ears to catch the question. After everything he's done and everything he's tried to do... did Wakko not support or believe in his brother or his efforts? Had he already given up on him?

When Wakko didn't answer for a considerable amount of time he eventually sighed and hopped off the bed. He made his way to the door, slumped a bit from an invisible weight on his shoulders, and turned just enough so that he could meet Yakko's heartbroken gaze.

"… I guess… I guess I don't…"

Wakko left the room entirely after that, having gone off to get some fresh air considering how understandably stuffy the water tower was suddenly feeling. Yakko didn't care though. He was frozen stiff, starring at the door as if it was melting.

The thought ran through his mind over and over before he found himself on his knees, still starring out ahead. His body was trembling hard.

He was doing this mostly for them. His brother and his sister were his driving force. Often he had wondered if trying to get them through this was a lost cause but he _knew_ in his heart that his siblings believed in him. So long as they stuck together, supported each other, and believed in success he could see a brighter future ahead. It didn't matter how dim the light at the end of the tunnel was.

He figured Wakko's behavior had something to do with how bitter he had become toward the world but to find out that it was also because… he didn't believe Yakko could succeed at helping them or providing for them; stuff a good older brother should be able to do... was just...

... Earthshattering.

After about 10 minutes Dot wandered into the room. She must've seen Wakko come out but not Yakko and got worried when time passed with no sign of him. She stood there with a confused expression as Yakko simply stayed on his knees, now staring at the floor.

Dot felt instinct take over and she hurried to him, already at about eye level due to Yakko's squatting.

"… Y-Yakko? What's the matter?" Dot spoke calmly and curiously. Yakko just loomed his head up to meet her face to face. His mind was in a jumble. He didn't know what to think of himself anymore.

"… Have I been a good older brother to you?" Was his sudden question. It threw Dot for a loop. She didn't know where that had come from but knew it was on the heels of his and Wakko's discussion.

"Yes. Of course you have." Dot made sure to respond quickly enough, in order to make sure that he didn't think that she was thinking it over. She truly did think he had been and still is.

"You know I love you right? I'm trying hard for you and Wakko. I really am. If I fail it isn't because I didn't try. Honest." Yakko sounded so spastic. It was scary.

"Of course I know all that. And who says you're gonna fail! We'll make it through this. I know you, of all people, can get us back on our feet and then some! And I'm always here to help! So is Wakko! We believe in you so don't stop believing in yourself!" Dot was nearly hysterical.

Yakko managed a smile. He didn't know how but he managed one. She didn't know what Wakko had confessed to just earlier. However, it still comforted him hearing all that for some reason. He couldn't come up with a satisfactory reason as to why. Dot just had that air about her.

There wasn't any more talking. Yakko flung his arms around his baby sister and she did the same for him.

They sat there in silence, crying lightly into each other's shoulders. Neither of them knew for how long.

* * *

The daylight had come and gone and it was especially noticeable on the dankest side of Burbank. It was the area where the buildings weren't all that well kept and shady looking figures lurked around every corner. It certainly wasn't a place for children to be regularly exposed to, that's for sure. It's a good thing this area was rather small and secluded compared to the rest of the town.

In one particular alley, three hooded teens were gathered around a static ridden television set they had found sitting in the dumpster. After numerous attempts to get a clear picture they eventually decided it best to leave it there and head off.

"I can't wait to see Yakko tomorrow night."

"Don't get too excited. Odds are he still won't have the money."

"How poor can a guy who lives on the Warner Brothers lot be?"

"Damn poor. Apparently."

The voices of the people within the alleyway could be heard clearly by anyone who was curious enough to go and investigate. Too bad the people there weren't stupid. Diving too deep into the back alleys of any town can get you wrapped up in situations you're not supposed to be in.

Of course, even the smartest of people can find their way there if they're desperate and scared enough to resort to consulting the lowest common denominator for help. Doing so won't help you get back on top though. It just sinks your ship faster.

Yakko's ship couldn't afford to be sunk any faster…

The three of them exited the alley, leaving the clear echo of words given off by the cable-less, static television to itself.

" … _the strangest incident investigators have seen in quite some… … three men… … used to work for Warner Broth… found be-headed… no evidence left behind…"_


	3. Final Farewell

_**If there's something any of you find you have a problem with or need explaining, please feel free to let me know. Despite that, I'm happy to know people are reading and I always finish what I start.**_

_**Also, thanks to those who have reviewed so far. My heart lights up every time I read one.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Final Farewell**_

"Wow. Remember when I used to be fun?" Yakko suddenly mused as Dot fixed his tie. He had suddenly found himself staring off into the past like an old geezer.

"You are when you want to be sometimes… a little." Dot spoke, trying to keep his morale up.

He couldn't find an accurate enough retort to that. Yakko grinned slightly and shook his head. "Oh woe is me. I've been so concerned with the harshness plaguing our lives that I forgot to bring the funny. It must be in my other pants pocket."

"It's not like if you don't crack joke after joke at the party today, they'll hang you from the ceiling and beat the boring out of you with a stick. You have every right to be as composed as you are nowadays." Dot had finished with his tie and was straightening out her own dress.

"Yeah I guess…" Yakko stared at the wall to his side for a few seconds and blinked. "… Is Mr. Packs-Away-the-Snacks gonna be there?" Yakko asked, not trying to sound too condescending in all honesty.

Dot sighed and looked up at him. "You mean Wakko? Yeah. He said he doesn't want to miss this. I doubt he, of all people, would miss it for the world."

"That's good. If anything, his heart is always in the right place." Yakko said with a genuine smile. He was still hurting from what his younger brother had said before. He wasn't too sure what to make of his efforts or of himself as of right now but the show must go on. He'd make sure that it did too. There wasn't a cause for giving up until there was literally nothing left for him to do.

"All our hearts are in the right place Yakko." Dot responded to him with a bit of a curtsy.

"And I thank you for that. All we need to figure out is how to get that spare stomach out of his body and we're good to go." Yakko trotted toward the door while Dot giggled lightly. As of now, he was wearing a rather fresh and sharp looking tuxedo. It would've been criminal to suggest that he could've afforded it while all their money troubles were going on so thank goodness for the good times before.

Yakko opened the door to the water tower and let the fresh air into his lungs. He breathed it all in dramatically, as if he hadn't tasted clean, open air for months. He had to admit, it keeps getting really stuffy in there to him. He wasn't sure why though. Whenever he asked his siblings about it they usually answered with an "It feels okay" or a "You smell like phlegm".

Dot headed outside and stood beside him, starring over the lot with him. They could almost taste the nostalgia at the tip of their tongues. It hadn't even been that long and yet it felt like a million years since this whole thing started.

60 years ago, after being born from a nameless mother and father and stuck in an orphanage, they had found this bouncy studio in its early stages. It was full of up and coming toons ready to make their mark on history. The three of them were a part of that crowd and boy were they the zaniest. They caused the most problems and were touted as insane to the extreme. Always laughing and always having fun, they were ready to make it big.

And then they were locked in the tower. Okay…

Not exactly the big break they were looking for.

Thank goodness for everyone here though. Animaniacs, despite some of the restrictions it put on them, had been the most fun they'd ever had in their lives, and boy, did they hope for more of the same now that it was time to move on.

"That's right. I've got an appointment with Scratchy today." Yakko suddenly blurted out.

"Oh really? Right before the party starts tonight?" Dot asked, a bit confused.

"It's not too far off, I know. It's gonna start the instant I finish up with him." Yakko yawned and stretched his body out. It had been a day since his and Wakko's little spat. Wakko hadn't really… talked all that much afterwards. He barely hung around the Tower either. What he was out doing, Yakko didn't know. He'd always come back home looking and acting the same way as he left so no problem there.

At first he had figured that Wakko might've been up to his mischief again but that idea was nixed after Wakko felt the need to make it clear to Yakko that he was officially done with doing so. Yakko didn't know what had caused that or if the fight between them was somehow enlightening but in the end it made things easier, so why not go with it?

The two of them made it down the ladder and walked across the lot, admiring the sights they had already seen over a dozen times, before catching wind of someone's singing.

Rather beautiful singing. Definitely.

"_Let's try for two-oo~!_

_What's the sense in stopping now?_

_Just me and you-uu~!_

_We're the pros with the know-how-_

_To get kicked out of every place, we've ever set a paw!_

_We know it too~oo! Let's try for two!"_

"Rita!" Yakko shouted after the singing cat.

"Yakko." Rita smirked and turned to face him upon recognizing the voice instantaneously.

"Yup. Yakko. That's definitely Him." Runt chimed after her with his tongue out. Both Yakko and Dot approached the two of them in front of one of the studio's numbered garages.

"That singing of yours always puts a smile on my face. I wish I had a CD of it lying around so that I could listen for as long as I could." The older Warner complimented.

"Aww. Thank you. I always loved that thing you and your brother do with those large mallets." Rita remarked. "And hey, if everything goes as well as it has been, the reality of having Albums put out of my music may not be too far ahead into the future."

"Whoa! Really?" Dot clapped her hands together and said excitedly. Yakko was a tad in shock.

"Oh yeah. Rita got one of them big cracks!" Runt tried to explain.

"Big breaks. I've got a big break." Rita corrected.

Runt nodded. "Yup. A real important looking guy in a suit came to her after our last short on the show. She's been doin' lots of singing; beautiful, beautiful singing. OH! And now, she's going on Broadway! Yup, definitely, definitely Broadway."

Broadway? Yakko and Dot looked stunned. Yakko in particular felt as if he literally couldn't believe it. That bright smile Rita had on her face was enough to convince him though. He felt bad for feeling a twinge of jealousy but it wasn't compared to how big his happiness was for the two of them. They were on their way to something quite better than the streets the two of them had grown up in.

"I… can't think of any satisfying way to say that I'm happy for you guys. I mean, WOW! That's just… incredible! Your singing has always been at that quality but-" Yakko started.

"It's like a dream come true!" Dot sighed with a dreamy smile on her face. She was probably imagining all the hot guys she could meet where Rita and Runt were going.

"Yes. The best part is that Runt is someone I can bounce off of well whenever they need someone to back me up whether it be stage production, preparation, or even back-up singing. It happened once or twice on the show and he's gotten better at it." Rita went up to Runt and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Aww. Thanks Rita. That's real sweet." Runt responded with a beam of delight.

"Awesome you guys. Really. Pretty soon you'll be firing your agent over that spec of dirt you found in your glass of water." Yakko grinned.

"Maybe. Nah, not really." Rita waved the thought off before looking at how sharply Yakko and Dot were dressed. "Ready for the party tonight I see. So, what have you two got planned after this finalization?"

Yakko and Dot stood there and starred for about 3 to 4 seconds before Yakko scratched the back of his neck and looked to the side in slight embarrassment. What could he tell a person like her who was well on her way to becoming a super star?

"Well, next on my to-do list is… more breathing and… more eating… and sleeping sounds nice… " Yakko droned on which made Rita and Dot share an uncomfortable glance.

"Oh boy! You and I have the same agenda!" Runt almost shouted with excitement. Rita would've laughed but for some reason, the urge to didn't come forth.

"You're way too talented not to have an answer for me Yakko." Rita spoke, sternly.

"… Y-Yeah. Yeah, I know…" Yakko couldn't deny that he was talented. "It's just… it's just the three of us… and our resources have been harder and harder to come by and prioritize… It's a bit of a mess right now, honestly." He tried to make it clear without sounded too helpless.

Rita looked straight at him. She seemed to be examining his features for a bit.

"… The talent scout who picked me up will be there too. Runt invited him and Plotz said he was okay with it despite it being more of a staff and crew thing. I have a bit where I'm to sing songs from the show and I'd love to have the person who sung the most on the show join me. It'd be fun." Rita eyed Yakko's face and loved the change in expression.

Yakko was smiling now. "Y-You mean it? Th-That'd be great! I'd love to!"

"I would as well. I'm sure my guy would love you ya know, especially after I put a good word in. Runt's signing on happened because of my heartfelt recommendation and a given chance to show his stuff as well. It'll be a blast." Rita was offhandedly offering something that Yakko had been trying to search for on his own for who knows how long. It was a chance at salvation.

How good would it be, just to get his name out there? And a chance to show what he had was…

"Thank you Rita. Thanks so much. With every fiber of my being, I thank you." Yakko said, bowing jokingly but meaning every word he had said.

"It's no problem. Really it isn't. I only wish I had known about whatever situation you were in sooner." Rita said quietly and motioned for Runt to follow her as she walked away. The practice singing had just about ended when Yakko and Dot had come along. "Confide in your friends a bit more. There's no shame in asking for help."

Those were the words she left him with as they scampered off. Yakko watched her go, now feeling really happy and slightly ashamed. First there was Skippy's selfless act and now this. Come to think of it, Plotz had been uncharacteristically lenient on him ever since this whole mess started too. His friends and co-workers were all extremely willing to help and he had subconsciously avoided it and neglected to tell anyone just exactly how deep in the rut they were because of his own pride. At least, he thought it was his pride. He couldn't just be stupid.

"This sounds wonderful! You've always been a great singer!" Dot sounded really bubbly. It was cute seeing that side to her again.

"Haven't I? Ah, but Broadway? Would my audience be able to withstand my radiant beams of awesomeness?" Yakko pretended to act serious.

"They'd die of annoyance first." Dot had he hands on her hips. Yakko eye-balled her before he broke out into a chuckle. It felt good feeling up to laughing again. It went away quickly when the chuckle turned into a cough though. Dot didn't say anything about it, deciding to let it pass without comment this time.

When Yakko stopped he cleared his throat and looked to the side building where Dr. Scratchnsniff's office was. It was about that time.

"Alright. I think I'm gonna-Whoa…" Yakko grabbed his head. His eyes rolled around a bit in their sockets and he felt himself stumble a tiny bit. Dot made a motion to help him steady himself but Yakko ended up shaking his head and fixing his posture on his own.

"Are you alright?" The younger sibling asked quickly.

"Yes. I was just saying I'm gonna head on over to Scratchy's…" Yakko let that be it for the talking and quickly walked off, making sure to stay focused ahead and not look back at the concern on Dot's face. He had suddenly gotten a slight dizzy spell. His eyes had started rolling and his vision had blurred out of the blue.

Stranger still, it went away quickly. He didn't like not knowing why it always did that.

* * *

Dr. Otto Scratchnsniff was the best around. That's why Thaddeus Plotz hired the guy. There was no situation that involved the potential dive into the mind that he couldn't fix.

Then he met the Warners. Later he lost his hair.

Uncontrollable, always joking, always playing, always irritable and just as insane was what they were. They always made a mess! They always wasted his time! They always drove everyone bonkers! It would never stop! He wanted it to stop!

And then it did.

Yakko sat across from him, lightly swinging his legs up and down like the confused and shaken child he was, not saying anything. He wasn't _doing_ anything. He wasn't driving the doctor mad like he and the other two had always done before. Scratchnsniff couldn't believe how sad he thought that was. He wanted the old days back. He really did think it was better to be driven up the wall than to see such previously happy kids indulge in so much sadness.

Yakko had told him everything that he had felt like getting out to the doctor today. Scratchnsniff wished he had been more surprised by Wakko and Yakko's fight but he wasn't. With everything that Yakko had already said to him, he figured it would've been eminent.

"As of right now… how are you feeling?" Dr. Scratchnsniff asked, leaning a bit over his notepad.

Yakko blinked and let out a huff of air before looking straight up.

"Like a… melting marshmallow?"

Okay. What did that mean?

"Could you… maybe explain a bit more?" The doctor tried again. This got Yakko to sit back up straight again.

"Honestly, doc, I've got nothing. My head hurts real bad and I've got all these emotion-thingies swirling in my head. I'm not exactly sure what I'm feeling at this very moment, but I know that it doesn't feel good. Even after what Rita and Runt did for me today I just…" Yakko trailed off while looking down diagonally.

Scratchnsniff raised an eyebrow. He waited a few seconds before speaking up. "Yes?"

"… Give it to me straight." Yakko began, leaning the doctor's way. Scratchnsniff didn't say anything yet. "What do you think is going to happen to the three of us in the future?"

Dr. Scratchnsniff wasn't too terribly taken aback by the question. He did have to sit back and think for a while though. It was as deep a hole as you could dig for yourself out in show biz. He often mulled over the idea of anyone here being able to take them in. Of course, every person that came to mind, including himself, he knew wouldn't be able to.

He watched Yakko's face as it stayed in that sad and sullen expression the entire time he thought it over. In the end, his brilliant mind could only fathom a single response. It was one he knew Yakko wouldn't accept.

"No one can say for sure. There doesn't exist anyone who can see into the future."

At least it was the truth.

* * *

Night fell. The scenery was brighter than ever in one particular building at the studio. The festivities were high as were the spirits of the party goers. Even so, underneath it all, it'd be hard to deny that lingering feeling of sadness that encompassed them all. It felt good though. It was just another feeling to express their love for this passing point in each of their lives.

"Here we are. The final farewell to all those who had a part in the celebrated hit show, Animaniacs. We remember how insanity dominated the television screen and left a place in the wacky and crazy den of our hearts. It'll live on, even as the show's official end comes today with this party's declaration of departure. Here's to moving on to bigger and better things and a happy successful future."

"Okay, I luv you, buh-bye!" Mindy shouted and waved as the old guy finished his speech on the stage. Everyone at the party tables in front of him burst out laughing at this. Even Buttons managed a bright grin. The person reading off of the paper couldn't help but smile as he left the podium too. He honestly couldn't wait to see what she'd make of herself after this.

The place they had set this up in was usually used for the BINGO nights. It was re-done entirely for tonight's special event though. Tables were set up everywhere. Some were full of food and drinks, others had board games, and some still were left over for simple mingling and chatting between co-workers. Streamers were everywhere. Music flared nicely in the background so as to make sure you could still hear the people talking. Oh and the balloons! There were a lot of those too.

Dot looked around, currently sitting with Minerva Mink at her own table, and admired how wonderful it was that everyone that had gotten even the occasional side glance on the show was here. It really did make it all feel like a brilliant final farewell.

"-And he was incredibly hot. It's a shame I never got his number but whatever. The show must go on." Minerva had finished telling a story about some guy she had met on the set of one of her own cartoons. None of which he had a role in.

"Thanks for keeping it in your pants for the sake of all of us sweetie." Dot responded with a grin. "The set designing you do was always the best. I'm sorry your shorts on the show didn't amount to much."

Minerva smirked and looked to the side. "How harsh. They amounted to plenty. If you were a toon above the age of 18 I suppose." The two of them went into a fit of knowing laughter. A lot of people in the studio did like her few skits, but, Dot and surprisingly Minerva as well, weren't big fans of them.

Minerva turned her head when she heard Newt, a blue dog with a red nose that often worked with her on the show, had whistled for her to come over. Minerva stood up with a grin.

"Alright. It's time I scampered over to a more lively section of the party. See ya girlie." She waved Dot off and Dot waved back. When she was gone, Dot was alone again. It was just as well though. She could handle being with someone or being by herself the way she was feeling today. They were mixed feelings. Happiness and painful sorrow was what they were. She could see her co-workers just oozing the talent that they all had from when the show was on the air.

"Say something you stupid mime." Blurted out Katie-Kaboom.

The Mime made a confusing gesture with his hand that got her upset. She confused it for him flipping her off. An explosion happened soon after that sent him spiraling into Flavio the Hippo's back.

"Look Marita. A party favor." Flavio smiled as he ripped the flattened mime of his back and wore him around his neck like a towel.

"How nice of them. I must call the waiter over so I can give him a gracious tip." Marita said, ringing a small bell. The waiter came over, looking this way and that, as if he wasn't all too focused on them. He opened the tray he had with him to reveal two lab mice on a plate with apple slices in their mouth.

"My, my. He even brings us food without the need of acquiring his services." Flavio said graciously. The mouse with the bigger head spit out the accessory in his mouth and growled angrily.

"That's no waiter! HE is a giant chicken!" The Brain shouted and pointed accusingly.

Chicken Boo clucked and pecked at his waiter uniform.

"He is? That sounds delicious! Much more tastier than I thought we would be! NARF!" The skinny one, Pinky, stood up and clapped his hands while swallowing the apple slice whole.

Dot couldn't contain her laughter. It was as normal a setting as could be and yet they couldn't stop being so crazy. It was fantastic. She could only hope to find such wonderful people to work with once she and her brothers managed to get their act together.

_If_ they managed it that is.

"Well, well. All by your lonesome? What's with that? As the main characters, I figured you and your brothers would be the stars of the show tonight."

Dot recognized the voice and spun her head around. A bright smile came to her face when she saw the gray squirrel, Aunt Slappy, and her nephew Skippy take two seats next to her. Skippy had even puffier cheeks than she was used to seeing which meant that he had stuffed a bunch of food into his mouth.

"You'd think so, eh Slappy? I'd have thought so too but hey, whatever happens happens." Dot said with her cheek in the palm of her hand.

"Amen. Or halleluiah. Whichever one you're supposed to say." Slappy flung several acorns into her mouth and chewed on them as if they were potato chips. "So where _are_ your brothers anyway?"

"Yakko just left the table a while ago to go prepare for his duet with Rita. Wakko hasn't-…" Dot began before sighing. "… -Hasn't shown up yet."

Slappy starred at her for a bit before swallowing and grinning lightly.

"Don't sweat anything yet. I know that kid. He wouldn't miss a shin-dig as bumping as this for anything." Slappy sounded so confident. She always did. Dot wished she had that ability.

"Speak of the devil." Skippy choked out with his food between his teeth, looking straight ahead. Dot blinked and looked where he was looking. Her eyes widened slightly and a smile was all but plastered on her face.

There he was, Wakko Warner in a suit. He was even wearing pants today. Classy.

He was looking around, almost half-heartedly, probably feeling slightly embarrassed at how he hadn't yet located any of his siblings. It wasn't until he heard a distant "Over here" spring to his ears that he turned and met Dot's gaze. She had as wondeful a smile as one could have as she waved strongly at him.

Wakko managed a weak smile in direct contrast to her strong one and waved back before trotting lightly over to the table. He sat down next to his baby sister, leaving Slappy and Skippy to their own devices which as of now, consisted of pointing out which people were and weren't secretly gay. Slappy knew it all.

"I gotta admit; I was starting to think you wouldn't show." Dot smirked.

"Miss this? Please. Not even if I was dead. I'd kick Death's ass and claw my way to the surface if I had too." Wakko managed a grin. The comment made Dot giggle. Wakko was surprised he still had the ability to do that.

"Wow. Look at Pip talk. He just goes on and on and on and on-" Skippy watched Francis Pumphandle, most commonly known as Pip, talk up a storm to Colin, who was most commonly known as The Randy Beaman Kid. Colin wasn't annoyed though as he was also a talker. Not as long-winded as Pip though.

"Yeah, he sure has diarrhea of the mouth. Doubt all his knowledge will point me into the direction that leads to the secret behind that Water Tower though." Slappy remarked. She knew the two Warners were far off in their own conversation so she didn't worry about them overhearing anything right now.

"Did you find out anything new today Aunt Slappy?" Skippy asked. He sounded slightly on edge.

"Nah. Nothing Skippy. I've been looking into this, with Plotz' permission mind you, for years. Haven't found a darn thing that updates from what I already do know. An un-written rule among the higher ups says the thing is supposed to be left completely alone. Tremendous controversy resulted from the decision to lock the Warners up in that thing all those years ago too…" Slappy was speaking a tad quieter now that their names were dropped.

"No new developments at all? That's so strange. Do you at least know why no one's allowed to go near it?" Skippy asked hopefully.

"… Apparently, the last few people who did 60 years ago, all came back with the same illness." Slappy spoke up. "Insanity."

"I-Insanity?" Skippy's heart skipped a bit.

"Not the fun kind of insanity either… people were found all over the lot… be-headed…" Slappy mused.

"B-Be-headed? Like… being without a head?" Skippy gulped.

"Yeah. Like that…" Slappy sighed. "But what good is knowing that when I also know that the same thing doesn't happen today. You try approaching that tower today, you're totally fine when you step away. I just don't…" Slappy groaned and leaned forward on the table. She shifted her gaze to Wakko and Dot who had sparked up a rather fluent conversation. The situation with them was the strangest to her. They lived in that thing, even during the time when approaching it made you go coo-coo crazy in the head. Yet they were fine.

Well,_ Yakko_ had that odd sickness but…

"… I need more info. Adding up what I have isn't making this make more sense. It's a good thing that this party being an official farewell doesn't have to mean we all have to leave the studio immediately." Slappy assured. Skippy was finding this all very odd as well but there wasn't time to think about it.

Yakko was coming on soon.

* * *

"We're on in a few minutes. Nervous?" Rita asked Yakko as Runt used his mouth to spray cologne all over him.

"I've preformed before. I think I'll be okay." Yakko grinned as he looked out at the stage. Mr. Director was on, singing his very own classic.

_"OH LADY!_

_I know a LADY!_

_With High-Heel shoes! And Socks and Pantie-Hoes!_

_OH PRETTY LADY~!"_

"You suck!" Pesto shouted and chucked a baseball at his head. It hit dead on and made him topple over on the table below the stage. Squit chuckled and Bobby burst out laughing as could be heard from where Yakko was standing.

"If anything, I'll be better than that guy." Yakko grinned.

"As if that'd be hard. Let's go." Rita motioned for Yakko to follow her.

Out in the audience, Wakko was staring ahead for a bit, anxious to see his big brother on the stage again for some odd reason. Dot could pretty much sense how interested Wakko was in this development and it made her smile. Fight or no fight, in the end they were still brothers.

"Feel good sitting back and enjoying a performance of his again?" Dot asked. Wakko gave her a glance and looked on ahead once more.

"I dunno. I guess." Wakko really wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't even sure what he was feeling. Dot recognized his usual sullen face and pulled back on the talking for now. She wore a sad smile but was content with the fact that Wakko had decided to stay and watch regardless.

The two performers in question got out on stage and bowed accordingly. Wakko sat with the rest of the crowd, looking on with a neutral expression the entire time. He watched and listened as they began to sing.

All of the songs they did were from the show, sung entirely straight. Some were exaggerated a bit to be a bit goofier, and some were done in a way that expressed a much more serious tone.

Wakko recognized all of them by name.

Somewhere is a place called home

A shortened version of Schnitzelbank

If I could have my Wish

Not in my Gay Paree

Even the Theme Song. And after that there was more still.

And than the finale hit.

Wakko looked toward the stage and watched the crowd enjoy the somber tone of a rather quiet and calming version of "Never give up hope" from the final movie they all did. It was revised a bit to make it fit more for just two people and made to sound more like a cover you did with a soft violin or piano. Even still, it worked just as well as the original did and was by far the best he had heard from them so far…

Dot looked around the room at everyone's faces. There wasn't a single person whose attention wasn't directed at the stage. They were all being taken in by their wonderful singing. Dot smiled lightly before turning back to her brother only to be taken aback in surprise.

Wakko was rubbing his eyes and crying softly onto the table. Here he was, surrounded by all the people that he loved for the last time, listening to a beautiful duet rendition of a song that he himself helped write and preform. It was so wonderful. It was so sad…

Dot's smile returned at seeing her brother like this and she put her hand on his shoulder, like she usually did for Yakko whenever he felt the emotion get to him.

"It's beautiful. Isn't it?" Dot asked in a rather silent and comforting voice.

Wakko sniffled and rubbed his eyes again. More tears spilled out after he did so. He managed a reply.

"Yeah… It is beautiful… those two work well together…"

The room filled up with applause once they had finished. While that went on, Dot was busy giving Wakko a tight hug, one which he had no problems returning.

* * *

"WHOO! I feel swell." Yakko mused as he stepped outside to where all the trash cans were located. He had walked a bit far but his spirits were high and the thoughts floating in his head were running wild. He almost let himself collapse over the cans before realizing that they were dirty and probably filled with garbage.

He instead turned to look straight up at the sky. The full moon shined down at his now lit up face. For some reason, despite this being the declaration of the end, he felt really happy. The faces of everyone who made that show of theirs come to life zipped through his head and made him chuckle.

He began drifting down memory lane but stopped once he saw three people approaching him from the fore-front. Upon recognizing them his smile faded, and a fake one replaced it just as quickly.

"Hey guys. How's it going?" Yakko asked the three teenagers as they made their way up to his smaller and younger figure.

They all wore black. The clothes all looked like they were torn in numerous places. The expressions they wore were friendly though.

"Yakko. Here you are. It took a while to find you. We came right after the party like we promised." The tallest one spoke, taking his hands out of his pockets.

That did little to ease Yakko's sudden tension. "Uh… look… guys… I'm sorry but I-"

The three of them sighed collectively. "Really man? Again?" The teen on the right spoke up.

"Sorry." Was all Yakko got out before the guy at the head spoke again.

"What're you planning to do?" He asked, while scratching at his hair.

"… If everything works out like I want it to…? … Broadway…" Yakko managed to say. It came out more as a joke than a serious consideration. It was pretty much confirmed as something akin to humor as the three of them let out a fit of laughter before calming themselves down forcefully.

"How you gonna get there? Ride in some sleazy old guy's back pocket?" The teen on the right said, still chuckling.

"It'll cost much more than I have right now, I know… but, I can make it work. All I need is the right talent scout and a manager or whoever. I might've even gotten lucky tonight. A little more hard work will pave the way." Yakko was trying hard to sound as believable as possible. Results spoke more than that though. He, more than anyone, would know that.

"You're probably planning on leaving everyone in debt before things are through." Finally spoke the teen on the left.

"I haven't forgotten your boss' kindness. How could I? I wholeheartedly plan on repaying him the money just as soon as I can work it all the way up. However, food, rent, and living expenses are making the process really slow." Yakko tried his hardest to explain in a way that would make them understand.

The three of them shared the same, unreadable look before facing Yakko again.

"Alright. If you can't meet the deadline than we can simply extend it. No harm will come to you." The teen at the head spoke with a grin. Yakko felt a breath he hadn't known he was holding in, escape from within.

The three immediately turned and left just as quickly as they came, and without another word too. Yakko was grateful for that at least.

Getting help from them that time ago was supposed to help his situation, not make it worse. Now he just had more people he owed money to. Yakko was in a particularly bad situation when he made the decision to visit the slums of Burbank, looking for absolutely anyone's help. He was desperate for any kind of help. All he needed was the money for a much more non-lenient deadline with the rent concerning their Water Tower. He hadn't told his siblings as a means to not worry them but he knew that if they were all kicked out, the truth would come out in a much more regretful way.

In the end, he did get the money. It was from a suspicious character in the back alleys of a smelly and run-down looking place but he got the money. Now he was in debt. He just needed to pay it all back. The boss didn't care how. They had even set up deadlines for him to hand over the money in smaller quantities so that he could realistically be expected to hand it over.

That still wasn't working though. Yakko had now just missed his third deadline. He didn't even have a penny to spare. This particular time had made him a bit anxious. He had never expected them to simply extend it as opposed to increase the amount he owed next time.

He was in a rut though. He knew that good fortune can only take pity on you for so long. He needed more money and he needed it quick.

* * *

"Great job out there Rita. Definitely, definitely, a great job." Runt congratulated the singing cat as she sat outside, taking a much deserved breather from being stuck in that party area. At this point in time, there was nobody left in the garage. Everyone who had wanted to had said their final goodbyes to whomever it was they wished to say it to and made their way home.

As far as Rita knew, she, Runt, and the janitors were the only ones left to hang around with. That notion was botched when she spotted Yakko running straight up to her in a slight panic. He looked terribly tired and worried.

"Whoa. What's with the rush? You look as if you're running away from a sling of gunfire." Rita looked Yakko over with interest. Yakko simply panted and coughed for a few seconds. It was taking a while for him to say anything partly because he needed to calm himself, and mostly because he wasn't sure how to say this. When he finally spoke it would end up sounding awkward and pathetic either way.

"Rita… that guy who got you your big break… was he in the audience?" Yakko asked first.

"Oh yes. He was definitely there to see our performance. Said he loved it in fact. You need to put yourself out there more often you know?" Rita answered for him, not at all convinced that's all he wanted to know.

Yakko took in a slight breath before sweating a bit and facing her while standing straight up now. "Erm… listen… I'm in need of some serious help. I…" Yakko hated what he was about to ask. He hated this!

"You need money?" Rita asked for him with a sad sigh. Yakko swallowed and simply nodded. This was humiliating. It was also extremely pointless as fate would have it. "Sorry Yakko, we don't really have much. The best I can spare right now is about 50 bucks though."

"What? Huh?" Yakko blinked in confusion.

"The plans for our trip to Broadway are a go. All that's been finalized and we've got a free ride to be sure but as for the money that we have right now? Runt and I have just enough to get by with food and water. We also have to pay for a little hut on the lot to keep us nice and sheltered. The skits we did on the show paid well but they pretty much over after Season 1. Ever since, we've been using what we've had to get by with a little help from the occasional cameo or two." Rita felt supremely sorry the entire time she was explaining this to Yakko. When she had told him about the plans for their success ahead, she hadn't wished to imply that they were currently living the high life.

It wasn't her fault though, and Yakko knew it. If he had given it one iota of thought he probably could've figured that out himself. He grasped at his head, sweating and gritting his teeth. It felt like he was in literal pain from being bombarded with the sad truth so many times. The descending look on Yakko's face wasn't unnoticed by either Rita or Runt though.

"Yakko, I'm really sorry. I'll be sure to help any other way I can…" Rita spoke up. Yakko continued clutching his head, as if he couldn't hear her. His eyes were shut tightly. This position was scaring her a bit.

"Umm, hey Yakko. Are you okay?" Runt asked, stepping a little closer.

Yakko let his hands drop to his sides finally. With a heavy, clearly frustrated sigh, he opened his eyes and gazed across from them. "I'll be fine. Somehow, I'll…" He began but stopped talking. His attempts to reassure himself felt more and more like he was harshly lying to himself as the situation dragged onward through the mud.

Rita and Runt's attempts to console him wouldn't work now. He had a huge headache all of a sudden.

Yakko was about to turn to leave when he heard a frantic voice call his name from behind the dog and cat. The three all turned to look and sure enough, it was Dot. She looked extremely frantic and worried. Somehow though, they were all convinced that she looked far worse than Yakko had just before.

Dot skidded to a stop in front of Yakko and panted hard in a cold sweat. Yakko approached her and was about to ask what the problem was when she blurted it out in a panicked huff.

"Wakko's gone! He's gone and I can't find him! He's not anywhere!" Dot yelled straight at Yakko, the fear in her voice was obvious. Upon hearing the news, Yakko felt something shift in the pit of his stomach.

"Calm down Dot. You sure he didn't just go off for a walk like usual?" Yakko put his hand on her shoulder but she shook in fright and sprung back into hysterics.

"No! He didn't! I was with him the whole time in that party place and then he said he was leaving to pick something up for me at the Water Tower. The whole time you were gone Yakko, he didn't turn up so I looked in the Tower and couldn't find him. When I came back here, on the trail leading to this garage, I found this." Dot explained intensely and then held up Wakko's red cap. "It was just lying there, dirty and discarded and… it even…"

The three onlookers waited for her to finish. Dot swallowed and continued.

"I saw a blood spot on the edge of it!" Dot finished, gaining access to their big-eyed reaction shots as a result. "Why would that be there? Why'd he leave his hat behind? He loves this hat! He always wears it! He would never do that! Where'd he go?"

Yakko quickly pulled Dot close when he realized that she was started to lose it. She pressed her head into his chest and started to cry a bit. With all that had been happening recently, how could she not assume the worst?

Yakko could only look straight ahead into the empty darkness of night before responding. "It'll be alright…" All he could say was something that was cliché and off the cuff. His knowledge of what was happening and what would happen just wasn't there. "… Wakko… he'll be fine…"

Rita and Runt looked at the two with looks of fear. Runt was extremely shaken and concerned for Wakko's well being. Rita was as well but... she couldn't help but stare at Yakko and felt her mindset float around the concern she had for him.

The way he had said those last few lines to Dot. The way he was gazing off into space. The way he had reacted earlier when Rita had told him about their lack of money.

Yakko didn't seem all that... right in the head anymore...

* * *

"We've done played this stupid game with every monument in this studio." Bobby remarked as the three pigeons landed at the forefront of one final obstruction. It was the Water Tower.

"Yeah, but it took a while and we only have one place left to play it with." Pesto grumbled. He hated it when it sounded like Bobby was complaining about one of his ideas.

"We couldn't just say we did them all and gone off to bed?" Bobby shot back which prompted Pesto to grunt.

"Lay off. Once I start a game, I finish it. Besides, it ain't hard. It was_ never_ hard and it didn't take long if you weren't stupid. Just look at the Water Tower at this low angle and tell me what you see." Pesto commanded.

"You do it first." Bobby ordered.

"A giant cannoli." Pesto wasted no time with his answer.

"Badda bing… "Bobby eyed Squit who was looking straight up at the tower, obviously trying to come up with something to say. Bobby sighed and decided just to get the last run of this game over and done with.

"A large yellow pill with four Twizzlers for legs." Bobby smirked. Pesto groaned. He didn't like that answer for some reason.

"Alright Squit, it's your turn. Make it good." Pesto shot his look toward the third member. Squit had finished examining it and had gotten his answer. He was a bit reluctant to say it though.

"Well to me it… nah it's stupid." Squit concluded.

"Probably. But say it anyway." Pesto retorted instantly.

"Oh alright." Squit smirked and looked straight up at it again. "Honestly? From here… at this angle… in the dead of this night... "

Bobby and Pesto watched Squit tilt his head as he finished.

"…It looks like a really big tombstone."


	4. Breakdown

**I'm really having a huge blast writing this story. I can only assume that you guys are enjoying it as well. It's time for Chapter 4.**

**Chapter 4: Breakdown**

The coughing was loud and bombastic. It echoed all throughout the Water Tower and it wouldn't stop. It was different this time though. It was deep rooted, nastier, and much more aggressive than before. There was no denying how scary it was and how worse the cough had gotten since Wakko's disappearance.

Yakko sat on the couch, in one of his latest and biggest of coughing fits yet. It was starting to hurt his chest. Every time he managed to stop briefly he was barely able to regain enough composure to realize just how horrible he felt.

His eyes were tearing up and his body was wobbling from side to side despite the fact that he wasn't even standing. Something sloppy and disgusting had been building up in his chest and throat but he couldn't get it out. It lingered there and made him feel like he was on the verge of vomiting.

Every time Yakko thought he was about to throw up he made a motion to get up and go to the bathroom only for him to get queasy and tumble back onto the couch.

Dot was here beside him, making sure Yakko stayed as well as he could in his condition. She had a bucket at the ready and had told him three times now that there was no need to try and head to the bathroom if he needed to vomit. However, Yakko was so far gone that he must not have heard her until the third time. That was the only time he faced her direction and nodded as if he had received the message.

All this pain, all this fear, all this worry and all this doubt was accumulating well over time. It was now at a rather frightful all-time high.

It had officially been an entire week since Wakko went missing.

"What's a big brother to do… knowing he's a colossal failure…? Can't find… my own little bro…" Yakko muttered out between bouts of more coughing. His voice was hoarse and extremely weak.

"We'll find him. It's way too early to be talking about failure…" Dot began. She stared at Yakko's now vacant looking eyes. She saw one of them twitch slightly before he surprisingly shot himself up into a straighter position.

"I'm going back to the Acme Labs… see if they made any progress…" Yakko went to stand up but Dot moved quickly and clamped her hands on his shoulders to hold him back down.

"You're not going anywhere. You're incredibly sick and you just got back from that lab an hour ago!" Dot scolded. The first time he left, he didn't tell her about it. It was a miracle he managed to make it back to the tower in his condition really.

"… Uhnn…" Yakko made an odd noise and stared downward as she held him in his seat. She let him go and looked him up and down. It was the exact opposite of the brother she had grown up with sitting here. That lively demeanor and that spring in his step couldn't be conjured up. He probably couldn't even smile now without feeling pain…

"You really have to rest. Okay? Take a load off and go to sleep. You've been up every night looking into Wakko's whereabouts and it's making everything worse for your already questionable state of health." Dot sounded like his older sister rather than his younger one.

"…No… I can't… Gotta go and… " Yakko stopped and swallowed a bit. He was finding it hard to focus or get his words out now.

"You'll take your nap and when you wake up you're going to go over and start a surprise session with Scratchy. I'll go over to the Acme Lab and make sure everything is going well for you. That way we can look into it while treating whatever it is that you've got. Okay?" Dot laid out all of this while waving her finger at him. Yakko's face was that of sad, submissive fatigue. He slowed nodded his head as if he had just been hypnotized by said finger.

Dot smiled lightly and helped Yakko up. He stumbled a bit but managed to walk with her support. His rather limb body managed to make it to his bed. He all but fell over on top of the thing when she led him to the edge of it too. The sight of his bed must've triggered a reaction that forced his body to collapse on top of it. It made Dot giggle slightly.

Dot helped move Yakko's body so that he faced the head of the bed. By this time, the softness of the mattress had taken him over and he was already half asleep. Dot pulled the covers over him and kissed his forehead. By the time she finished with that, his eyes were completely closed.

Dot left the room, letting all of what was happening get to her at once. The weight of the situation they were in made her feel heavy. She shook her head and wiped away a few tears before exiting the tower.

"Get better Yakko. We need you. When Wakko comes back, he won't be happy to know that you've gotten worse…"

* * *

"Combination 24-663! Initiating away!" Pinky shouted and pressed a bunch of blinking pink and red flashing buttons on the computer console. A few beeps were heard and the virtual map in front of them digitally adjusted itself to fit the newly imputed commands.

Nothing happened though. A location wasn't specified and an alert wasn't sounded. The newest input into their machine had failed!

"Dammit! I mean Curses! It failed to locate him again!" Brain shouted, jumping from the empty stool of tape he was standing on and overlooking the console of the machine in front of him. "I simply don't understand. It's been an entire week and this thing hasn't stopped running. Surely, wherever Wakko Warner is he can't have been-"

"Still haven't found him yet?" Dot's voice rung in their ears as she made her presence known. Considering the situation that was going down, being hospitable and knocking didn't cross her mind. The two lab mice didn't seem to mind at all though.

"No. I'm afraid we haven't. I'm rather ashamed of my performance concerning this dilemma." Brain sighed and tapped his foot.

"It's alright Brain." Pinky chimed in. "Just let the shame go and try again. I never feel any shame and look at me! I'm as happy as a stuffed crab! Wahaha!"

"I defy you to run that logic by me again…" Brain grumbled before he noticed Dot's sullen face. "Something you'd like to inquire?"

"How exactly does this machine work?" Dot made a gesture toward the virtual map. Brain looked her over once before turning to the map as well.

"We use strands of DNA we've taken from the Wakko Warner's blood stain on the hat you showed us and the machine uses it's prowess to hunt him down. It sends a signal that scours the world and pin-points the exact match and tells us the location of the subject we're looking for." Brain explained with his hand out.

Dot stared down at him with a question forming on her lips. Brain continued before it could get out though.

"The problem is that something seems to be jamming the signal every time the machine seems like it's close to getting an exact pinpoint. The capabilities are being blocked, in other words." Brain finished.

Dot managed to find herself a new question. "What can block the machine's capabilities?"

"Well…" Brain looked to the side a bit before focusing back ahead and following through. "… Locating someone from inside something that's been buried or if it's hidden within the confines of something organic-" Brain stopped when he saw Dot's face.

She looked horrified. That made him feel uncomfortable for some reason.

"But those factors don't mean much." Brain put his hands behind his back for a pose that was slated to emphasize how trustworthy his analysis always was.

Pinky decided to help with that emphasis. "Yup. Brain's right. Those factors don't mean much at all. The third one is way worse!"

"There is no third factor." Brain's retaliation was rather quick.

"Uh. But Brain, I could've sworn you said that the machine won't work if the subject was already dead." Pinky had spilled all that from his mouth while Brain had clenched his fists and fumed in anger at his astounding stupidity and lack of tact. With a swift strike of a pencil over Pinky's noggin he had the taller mouse seeing stars.

It didn't matter what he did to him though. Dot had already heard it and let out a rather ugly and distressed sigh in reaction to it. Did she even want to entertain the thought of Wakko dying? Of course she didn't. However, it had been put out there and she couldn't stop it from coming.

Instantly the image of the blood from Wakko's hat stung in her mind, actually managing to make her wince. With one thought comes another. A graveyard, an engraving, tears… so many tears…

_'Stop it! You know better!'_ Dot mentally scolded herself. Just hearing the possibility of Wakko's death had put her into an instantly troubled mood. The possibility had always been there, ever since the night of the party even, so why would anyone voicing it cause such a weak willed reaction?

She couldn't panic from just having her fears addressed like that. It was true that Wakko wasn't showing up on the radar and that death was one of the possibilities as to why it was happening but…

She needed to remain strong. Even if the chances that he was alive were at a devastating low, she needed to for both her brother's sake. Thinking of Yakko reminded her of another pressing issue that was concerning her. It was small potatoes compared to Wakko's disappearance though. Well, at least it would be to any one person. However, the well-being of both her brothers was her concern. They both needed to remain healthy and strong, both physically and mentally, for the sake of living out their lives.

The conditions being the way they were now, she didn't see that happening for either of her siblings and it worried her. Wakko was missing physically and Yakko…

She listened to herself let out a tiny whimper that got the two mice's attention. Brain shot Pinky another angry glare which made Pinky slump in shame. The mouse was about to apologize when Dot turned to face them and spoke first.

"My brain… feels all jumbled…" Dot resounded to standing there and looking straight at them as she let that out. "… I think this is one of those hard to believe situations where I've been left as the one who needs to remain strong. Maybe my subconscious knows that and that's why I've been so… calm."

Calm? Was that the right word?

"You're doing a fantastic job of remaining composed. I assure you that you and your brother's efforts will not be in vain. You continue to search on your own as we will remain here to do what we can. That's the deal we have and that's what we must latch onto for the best possible outcome." Brain sounded rather reliable there.

Pinky blinked at the table top he was standing on and looked ahead at Dot. "Only you? What about Yakko?"

Dot swallowed slightly, having felt a lump forming in her throat.

"Yakko is… " Dot began but stopped when she realized that she didn't have the words to continue with. The only one that came to mind was one that Rita had implanted into her two days after Wakko's disappearance.

Rita and Runt had decided to stay in Burbank a little longer when it was declared official that Wakko was missing. This was hours after Dot had confirmed it for herself.

She and Yakko went to go search their own way immediately. The Warner way. That way usually got things done. However, it became apparent as the days went by that Yakko had lost the know-how as well as the means to executing their way.

Yakko simply wasn't acting himself. Instead of remaining composed and doing what he knew would get Wakko back by seeking help and searching the right way, Yakko had panicked. He went about asking random people to help find his brother and would later collapse in the street due to accumulated stress amplifying his sickness. It was so reckless and self-destructive… and rather scary to boot.

When Dot had set this system up with Pinky and the Brain, Yakko had decided to abuse the possible lifeline he had to Wakko by constantly visiting the two of them to see if there was any new lead. Instead of initiating the help, he latched onto whom or what he knew was already helping. That expressed his deepest concern for Wakko, sure, but it did nothing to actually help the situation. It was made worse considering that Yakko was ridden with a disease no one around knew anything about.

Dot had at first considered this to be a rather harsh but understandable emotional reaction to Wakko's disappearance. However, Rita had decided to voice her own concern when the two of them, along with Yakko and Runt, had decided to go out looking for Wakko in their own search party.

The concern she had was for the possible inclination that Yakko's mind was collapsing.

What had caused her to fess up to having thought that way was the action Yakko took when he asked a random person passing by, after the countless questioning of other people, for anything in regards to Wakko's whereabouts.

When the man said he didn't know about the situation, Yakko suddenly clawed at _his own face_ and fell to the ground, kicking at the dirt as if he had suddenly gotten a stroke.

The scene was night terror worthy.

Shortly after that, Yakko's disease suddenly intensified. The next few days, Yakko had been on edge, but barely acknowledging Dot's existence. He seemed angrier and was always looking straight out at the wall. When he wasn't busy being angry at nothing, or panicky to the point of distress, he was usually exhausted due to whatever his sickness was trying to do to his system. Today had been one such occasion. The only difference was that it was worse.

His coughing had been monstrous and the rate at which he was sweating coupled with how utterly spent he was despite not having done anything yet…

"Urrrgh!" Dot growled and pounded at her head. The two mice had not been given an answer for a good two minutes while she had recounted what was wrong with Yakko in her head. Now she was suddenly pounding at her skull. How bizarre.

Dot's bout of frustration ended prematurely when she whacked herself harder than intended and her eyes ended up crossing in pain. She shook away the cobwebs she gave herself and looked down at the two confused mice before sighing gracelessly.

"Yakko is… a bit… broken…"

* * *

Yakko shot straight up and fell out of the bed when he reached over his stomach to turn off an alarm clock that wasn't even going off. It was a rather humorous scene to be sure.

Yakko was now face-planted into the floor with his feet propped up against the side of the bed. His arms were flopped down at his side and a groan floated from underneath his mushed face.

What jolted him awake wasn't a sound but somehow, on impulse, he reached over to turn off the alarm clock regardless. How stupid was that?

Yakko fixed himself by forcing his body up a bit and then slamming down onto his butt with his legs now splayed out in front of him. He looked terrible despite having rested for a nice long while. Maybe he just needed more rest though. It wouldn't surprise him if he did. Whatever was wrong with him warranted more than the regular kind of healing remedies.

Yakko let out an even louder groan when he remembered what Dot had suggested to him before he slept. An appointment with Scratchy? Did he want that? Could he afford to blow it off?

This didn't seem like the kind of situation where it'd be okay to play hooky. Still, he'd much rather go out and look for Wakko again. Why couldn't Dot understand that he just didn't feel like worrying about himself at a time like this? His little brother was missing.

Why or how wasn't crossing his mind at all. He just knew that he was missing and that there was a potential danger that hung over that fact.

Yakko stood up, walking ever so slowly to the door, and made his way out into the empty living room. Just seeing the place so empty and quiet made the pit in his stomach churn. It didn't matter that it had been that way quite a few times before either. For some reason, it being empty now was horrifying.

"I… kinda want to see Scratchy now…" Yakko muttered, rubbing his face down. He couldn't explain it but he was suddenly in the need for human contact. Any kind of contact at all would suffice.

Yakko walked out the door of the tower, filling his head with excuses as to why him going to see the doctor was a better idea than going out to look for Wakko. It would make him act more efficiently should he get whatever he needed to get off his chest he supposed. Was that true? It sounded like something Yakko would say to either Wakko or Dot should they be feeling this way but now that he was confronted with this problem he wasn't sure he believed it.

Yakko forced his thoughts to sway throughout his mind as he walked onward. He managed to pass by Ralph the Security Guard, eating a humongous sandwich, without any confrontation. It had been like that for a while really.

When Yakko walked by, he gave the man a light wave. Ralph spotted him, smiled, and waved back before going to town on his lunch again. Since the Warners weren't really all that out of control anymore, there wasn't any real reason for him to be after them all the time. Both he and Plotz knew it. For some reason that bothered Yakko. Had they really become that boring to them?

'_I can't be boring now. I was so fun and spaz-tastic before. How'd all that go away so quickly?'_ Yakko let the thought float there in his head as he approached the main office. After making his way inside and heading up to the desk, he eyeballed Hello Nurse.

"Hello Yakko. Are you here to see Dr. Scratchnsniff?" The beautiful blonde asked him with a clean smile.

Yakko simply nodded, smiling back. He entertained the thought of smacking his lips at the side of her face and shouting "Helloooooo Nurse!" but knew that if he tried his heart wouldn't have been in it. That would've just made things awkward for him personally.

After the formalities were attended to, Yakko waited where he usually did before an appointment. The atmosphere the waiting room reeked of was just as awful as the thoughts in his brain. His leg was bouncing in frustration and little beads of sweat were visible on his head. It must've looked quite bad, as Hello Nurse did a bit of a double take when she noticed Yakko's extreme fidgeting.

'_Oh please, Doc. Hurry up. I can't take this much longer.'_ Yakko thought as his leg bounced up and down. It looked like he was in desperate need of the restroom though in reality it was just his unhinged nerves getting the best of him. Sitting here right now, he felt so alone.

It was scary. He couldn't be trusted here alone with his own thoughts. His thoughts have been scaring him lately. If he's allowed to be with his thoughts for too long they might cause him to-

"Yakko?" Hello Nurse spoke at him. Yakko shot up, looking like a scared puppy in a thunderstorm. The look of genuine fear on his face surprised her. Why was he scared? It was just another appointment.

"Y-Yes?" Yakko asked her.

"The doctor will see you now." The nurse pointed to the door. She decided not to tell him that she had called his name three times before his response. The wait hadn't been that long at all but Yakko was acting like an eternity had passed.

The eldest Warner stumbled past the concerned nurse and into Dr. Scratchnsniff's office. The cold air hit him like usual. The air conditioned room usually never got to him but the cold air was making him shiver all of a sudden. He should've been used to how his Water Tower made him feel but his nerves were getting to him even harder now.

Dr. Scratchnsniff watched Yakko's odd movements. He came in and stood by the couch across from him. After looking down at it for a few seconds he plopped his body down and sat there with his head focused on his lap. He was obviously nervous and sweating enough for the doctor to notice the light trickles of water streaming down the side of his head. It must be the heat from his body's sickness.

That didn't explain why it looked like Yakko was shivering from the air conditioning though. His body must be screwed up. The poor kid…

"Yakko…" The doctor spoke up, instantly getting the boy's attention. "Today is pretty slow. Appointments have not been that prominent since the farewell party. That is to change when a new show starts up, among the other projects the studio is doing, but for today, feel free to take as much time as you be needing."

Yakko managed to smile. He liked how nice the doctor was trying to be. He really was like their father figure, even during the times where they drove him crazy. He took them to fun events, the circus, the movies, and plenty other places for them to wreak their havoc and have their extended playtime away from the studio.

Opening up to him was so easy.

"Thank you. I appreciate it so much." Yakko spoke with his sullen voice. "In all honesty… I wasn't too keen on coming here today but…"

The doctor watched Yakko start to fidget.

"… I suddenly decided that coming would be a good idea because when I woke up from my nap today I got scared." Yakko said, realizing that he wasn't being all too specific. Going into it probably embarrassed him.

Dr. Scratchnsniff looked over at Yakko and asked the appropriate question. "What were you scared of Yakko?"

The truth was embarrassing but a lie would get him nowhere.

"I was scared… of being alone… so I came here."

It wasn't just loneliness. It was the need to talk to someone about what was going on with him. He couldn't go out and look for Dot since it wasn't assured that she'd still be at the Acme Labs. He needed assurance of human interaction coming his way and he knew Scratchy was almost always in his office. Maybe Pinky and the Brain would've sufficed but a P-Sychiatrist sounded more logical than two questionably unstable lab mice.

"Do you think something bad will happen if you remain alone?" Dr. Scratchnsniff's questions were subtle but they were working toward something. Yakko was too shaken to tell though.

Yakko's gaze wandered to the side a bit. "Yes." He had admitted it. "I don't know what though." That was the truth.

The doctor looked intrigued. "Can you make a guess?"

Yakko's pupils flickered a bit. He had a feeling as to why but couldn't get it out. He started shaking again. The doctor watched Yakko fidget and felt as though he was putting to poor kid on trial for some sort of crime. Yakko was having too hard a time so early in the session.

"I'm afraid of my own thoughts…" Yakko had let the truth spill from his mouth. This time though, the shakiness in his voice came with it. With that shakiness came the desire to continue. With his desire to continue in full bloom, the tiny and fragile wall that held together his emotions burst. He suddenly found the truth spilling out of him like a water fall.

"Afraid of your own-?" The doctor began but Yakko interrupted.

"Yes! When I'm alone I think too much! Way too much!" Yakko was obviously panicked now. "I start going on tangents about how horrible a big brother I am and how it's okay to take out my aggression on somebody else. A-Anybody else. I want somebody aside from myself to blame even though I know it's not fair to do so. Everytime I tell myself how unfair that is I keep thinking about how I shouldn't care and that somebody needs to answer for what happened." Yakko was gripping his long ears now. He was terrified.

Yakko's shivering and sweating body exerted those traits even more as he went on. The doctor looked on, absolutely fascinated by Yakko's sudden breakdown. What exactly was this? Was he saying what he thought he was saying?

But here he was. Yakko was admitting to all his thoughts right in front of him. "I hate closing my eyes to think or being left alone with my thoughts now. I keep getting this vision of myself with a horrible sneer, overlooking some dead guy like some kind of crazed devil child. I keep thinking to myself about how wrong and nasty that is but it's followed up so quickly by a thought that tells me that someone needs to pay for whatever pain my family's been going through and that it doesn't matter if they're innocent or not. I keep fantasizing about hurting people whenever I'm alone!"

Yakko suddenly stopped and took in several choked breaths. He burst into a slight coughing fit before regaining slight control over himself and muttering out and whimpering response.

"I'm afraid… I might act on these thoughts… that I might hurt somebody or even… k-"

"You and I both know that you'd never do that. Not even on the show did you ever harm someone who didn't deserve it and that was as zany and unforgiving as it gets ya? You can't be talking about hurting innocent peoples. It's not you." Dr. Scratchnsniff had to admit that he was starting to feel a little scared as well. All of Yakko's fidgeting, sweating, eye twitching, and spasms weren't the movements of someone who was healthy in the head.

He couldn't imagine Yakko, the oldest and most level headed of the Warner Trio, going legitmitely insaney.

"… It's not me… I know." Yakko managed to get out. "I'm… I'm trying my best to get all this under control but…"

"Try harder Yakko. It's not just you I worry about now." The doctor said with a hint of stilled shock in his voice.

'_What did that mean?'_

"Huh? Y-You mean… my brother and sister? Y-yeah… I'm worried about them too… Oh man, Wakko! WAKKO!" Yakko startled the doctor when he suddenly started to yell.

"You need to regain control of yourself Yakko. I'll help you in every possible way I can. If you don't I think your siblings might even be in danger."

'_Is that what he meant?'_

"Wh-What? A-Are you suggesting that I might hurt my little sibs?" Yakko's voice was suddenly angry. That didn't sit well with the doctor considering his earlier outburst.

"I'm not saying that you'd want to but…" Dr. Scratchnsniff hesitated here. He absolutely hated having to say this. It was so painful considering how much time he had spent with the Warner Siblings but here it is. "… With the way you are acting now, I have to see it as a definite possibility." He spoke, remaining in his seat, although now he was at the edge of it seeing as Yakko was now standing up with both his fists clenched.

"I'm not-! I can't be crazy! The whole reason I'm breaking down like this is because of my love and fear for my sibs! I would never hurt them you P-sycho!" Yakko felt his anger boiling. The very idea that he'd hurt his siblings made him angry. Hearing the doctor voice this as a genuine concern, though, had sent him over the edge. The change in attitude and demeanor in Yakko was shockingly immediate. It wasn't in any stretch of the imagination, considered normal.

"Yakko! Please! I'm merely suggesting that you consider all the possibilities and take actions to help avoid the really bad ones." Dr. Scratchnsniff wasn't seeing the scared little boy from before standing right here before him. Yakko's mind was in turmoil and it was on a different level than he was accustomed to seeing in someone so young.

It wasn't just that though. Yakko's condition was so unusual. He had no idea what this was.

"You mean like you're failing to do right now? Saying something like that and not considering the possibility that I may get upset!" Yakko stomped toward him.

"I didn't mean to get you upset!"

"Well you sure weren't trying to help! Look how much better I feel right now! Forget this! I'm not taking advice from you-!"

Dr. Scratchnsniff stood up, not angry, but he needed to emphasis the importance of what he was saying here.

"Yakko! This isn't an attack on you or your love for your siblings! You just need to be prepared for-"

"Who prepares for something that isn't going to happen? I love my siblings! I don't care how crazy you think I am I'd never do anything to har-!" Yakko started but doubled over in an extreme and sudden burst of pain. He was hacking and coughing up a storm, suddenly on his knees.

The doctor looked down at him, stunned, but he felt the need to continue. "That's another thing that needs looking into. That mysterious illness that so far no one has been able to pin-point the origin of." He really wanted Yakko healthy again.

Yakko's coughing slowed and eventually stopped altogether. He had heard the doctor's statement but didn't react to it right away. He was panting hard and was so on edge, it was even starting to scare him himself. It paled in comparison to the fear he felt when he looked into the palm of the hand that he had covered his mouth with.

"It's just a cold… and even if it wasn't, it's got nothing to do with my sibs." Yakko's voice was hoarse but harsh all the same.

The doctor took in a rather deep breath. Yakko was angry. His thoughts were all over the place and he wasn't listening to reason. The situation just got worse and he had a feeling it was all because of this session with him. He couldn't just allow this to continue though. He needed to help fix this before something happened that Yakko or anyone else couldn't take back.

"Ever since this mess started… you've been trying to ignore all the obvious problems you kids have been having. You didn't ask for any help and you never confided into anyone until it was too late and felt that you could swallow your pride long enough to try it before going back to acting hopelessly on your own." Scratchnsniff bent down to Yakko so that he could see him more clearly. Yakko looked straight at him, no longer hysterical but not happy either.

"Don't spurn the help Yakko. I can't force you to take it but… I can at the very least tell you that not taking it will not help matters. It will only make things worse. Please Yakko…" The doctor's voice was so soft and sad. He didn't like what he was seeing at all. He wanted Yakko to know that he was here to help. He desperately wanted him to know.

Yakko eyed him for a few more seconds before forcing his body up. He stumbled a bit, feeling a tad dizzy before finally fixing his angered face. His palm was closed now from hiding what he had seen in it rather than from anger.

"I… I don't want… to…" Yakko trailed off, slamming his eye lids shut before fidgeting.

That was all he said before he spun around and marched out the door. Dr. Scratchnsniff held his hand out to him, as if wishing to call him back, but nothing left his mouth. He simply sighed and let his arm dangle limply at his side.

Hello Nurse had a confused and a heart-breaking concerned look on her face as Yakko marched by her. This was one of those times when he hadn't even given her a passing glance. He was too busy sweating and staring at his palm in fear. His face had reverted from angry to anxious to terrified in less than 30 seconds.

'_Why didn't I take his help? Do I really not need it? What's happening to me? I can't… I can't think straight anymore! I want someone to help me so why did I refuse? I'm so scared…!'_

Yakko felt a ton of horrid thoughts enter into his head. He didn't know what was next for him but it couldn't have been good.

His palm wasn't covered with spit or phlegm like usual after one of his coughing fits.

This time, it was blood.

Yakko didn't know where he was walking toward right now. His mind was a cluttered mess and his heart was beating too fast. Maybe he figured that if he just kept walking, he'd walk right out of the reality that he was in and everything would be like it was before.

He couldn't even remember what those fun times before felt like anymore. All he could feel was the thick mass of blood in-between his gloved fingers.

* * *

Time was flying by so fast it seemed.

The show was over and yet there was so much that had been left unaccomplished…

Buttons was currently walking Mindy back to the Studio. Apparently, they had forgotten to pick up the final paycheck in regards to the mother's appearance on the show. She figured it was so important that it was okay to ignore the fact that the sun had pretty much gone down at this point too. This annoyed Buttons tremendously.

She was a horrid mother in both the show and in real life. She was also barely on the thing so what was the point in going all the way back to the lot to pick up what could be little more than 50 dollars max. Seriously, Mindy, the small toddler, made more than this woman did. They were practically living off the income she got from the show.

Buttons sighed as he watched Mindy trot ahead, chasing around a butterfly. She was so blissfully unaware of their situation. It wasn't all that bad honestly. The father was rarely seen but with good reason. He was a hard worker and didn't take kindly to laying back and sending their child on a walk that took several miles just to pick up a check that he didn't deserve!

All this isn't even considering all the yelling, the shouting, the scolding, and other annoyances he'd grown to try and get used to. Seeing his life plastered there on the screen for the world to see really put things into perspective. He was a freaking dog! Why was he babysitting a grown woman's child?

That's not to say Buttons didn't enjoy spending time with her. He did. He really did. While she had a tendency to wander off, anvils and other painful junk tended not to fall on him when he chased after her. Thank goodness.

Oh well, the mom may be a witch, but he could stomach this so long as they didn't end up in the situation that ironically the main stars of the show were going through.

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. Mindy liked playing with them on and off the set. They thought she was cute and would often encourage her to engage in mischief. So long as she didn't get hurt, Buttons didn't really care what they did together.

All that money the three of them made from the publicity, the tape sales, the years of steady income and the additional profit that came with shouldering the Warner Brothers name… where did all of that go? They couldn't have been that bad with money. There's no way…

Often Buttons would wonder if some sort of conspiracy was going on. There had to be an explaination as to why it was so impossible for those three to get a leg up on society again. Even if it has been quite a while since the show's cancellation, it was still popular. It had been a huge success. Money should still be flowing in somehow.

The more Buttons thought about it the bigger the confusion and thus the bigger the headache. Everyone else was doing relatively well. The main stars were the worst off though? How? He really wanted to know. This was starting to rattle his brain.

"Green light!" Mindy suddenly shouted and took a step into the street. Buttons instantly came out of his trance and rushed forward, clamping his mouth over Mindy's overalls to pull her back in from the road. Apparently, she thought the green light was telling HER to go and not the cars. If only that woman had bothered to teach her … _anything._

She was so neglectful that she was constantly called "Lady" by her own daughter. It was embarrassing how many takes it took just to get her to say "Mom" in the movie…

Predictably, after she did, she never said it again. He hated that woman.

Buttons forced himself to interrupt his own thoughts again and nudged her with concern edged on his face. Mindy, not-surprisingly, giggled and hugged Buttons' face.

"Buttons… Good puppy…" She muttered silently, as if she was overwhelmingly relieved to be beside him suddenly.

Buttons smiled. Somehow, that smile and embrace of hers made this all worth it.

They continued on their way, unaware of the discovery that awaited them once they finally made it.

* * *

Nighttime was here and in full swing.

Yakko hadn't returned to the house yet though. He had been wandering the area as randomly as he could, hoping in vain that something would pop out at him to make him feel better.

He had no idea what he was doing with himself. He stumbled around with his eyes vacant and his body twitching continuously. He was stuck inside his own head. Thoughts kept coming and going as they pleased and he didn't know whether or not it was okay to focus on one topic or switch to another. Would it have made any difference?

Yakko's thoughts drifted from Wakko to money to the future to Wakko again to the blood…

He suddenly shuddered. His thoughts were beginning to overwhelm him with how consistently bad they were. He was a kid right? Why couldn't a kid find ways to think happy thoughts, even in the darkest of hours?

He eventually stopped outside a tavern, a place for grown-ups to mingle and alcohol to flourish. He took one look at it and stumbled inside. Instantly the smell of booze and polished wood hit his nose. He acknowledged it for two seconds flat before wobbling toward the stools and sitting down. He just didn't care anymore.

He was just going to sit here amongst all these people having a good time and think about what was going on. He couldn't bring forth a thought on how to fix it though. Everytime he tried, his headache would act up and make him choke out tears of frustration.

His head was all but kissing the counter in front of him when he heard some familiar voices ringing in his ears.

"Yo. If ain't the oldest Warner kid."

That was Bobby's voice. Not Wakko's. Why bother greeting him?

The Goodfeathers and the God-Pigeon were on the counter beside Yakko now. All of them had flocked forward without him noticing.

"Aww man. You look so down. Life's been malleting you good hasn't it?" Squit asked with his trademark grin.

Yakko lifted up his face so that his chin remained on the counter. It was just so he could see the people talking to him initially but that tremendous need to speak to someone was coming back yet again.

"… Is it that easy to tell?" Yakko groaned at his own statement. He was pathetic. Just look at him. Of course it was easy to tell.

"Yeah well, you look like dirt." Pesto chimed in.

_'Thanks Pesto.'_

"… Naw… I probably look and feel a lot worse than that." Yakko responded.

_'Thanks Me.'_

The God-Pigeon rubbed his peak and suddenly started to spout out his usual gibberish. Yakko raised an eyebrow. What the hell was that supposed to be anyway?

Thankfully, Bobby was apparently the only one in the world who could understand the guy. "The God-Pigeon says, you should take a load off and have a few brews."

"Ha. There's an idea. As if I wasn't cross-eyed enough dealing with this stupid cold." Yakko smiled a bit. The thought really was funny to him. "Sorry guys but I'm a minor. I can't drink my problems away like everyone else in here. Besides, I'm well aware of what drinking does to a guy. I probably wouldn't even if I was of age…"

Was that the truth? Yakko always figured himself to be a rather outgoing party goer. Alcohol didn't seem too far out of his league for when he reached the recommended age.

"Yakko Warner's a boy scout. Who knew?" Pesto laughed and brushed his feathers at Yakko's sullen face. Yakko didn't really like that comment. It's definitely not something anyone would've called him before this mess started and began draining the fun right out of him…

"He's just being well aware. Like how you are Pesto." Squit smiled brightly.

'_Uh-oh. Seriously, why did Squit even bother trying to complement this guy?'_ Yakko's smile grew.

"What do you mean by that?" Pesto was all up in Squit's sweating face now. "Are you saying that I am a paranoid little gutter snipe, who looks over my shoulder constantly, in fear of the harmless unknown like some sort of baby blue bird? Is that what you're saying to me?"

"N-No! I just said that you're really well aware. Like, attentive. You know?"

"I am _aware_?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

"… …THAT'S IT!"

Yakko was grinning at the fight cloud in front of him. The phrases "I'll show you _aware_" and "I've got your _'Aware'_ right here" was making him feel a bit giddy. Was he so easily entertained now? Bobby was holding his stomach and laughing though. Maybe his reaction was the correct one.

Bobby must've noticed Yakko's smile and decided that it'd be best to speak to the boy while the atmosphere was good.

"If you can learn to just take it easy and not sweat the details too much, you can have fun like us. Go on. Just try one. It's on the house." Bobby smirked and pushed a drink toward Yakko's face. Yakko's mind was so cluttered and scatter-brained that he didn't even remember what that was supposed to be or where he was anymore. The thing with Pesto and Squit had served as a brief distraction before all the bad stuff flowed back into his brain again.

He had been thinking about negative outcomes for him and his siblings and suddenly thoughts akin to his situation fluttered in and kicked those other thoughts all around his head. All the people he liked and all the friends he would probably never see again came to him. A frantic and spastic voice was ringing in his head, telling him that nothing was beginning to matter anymore.

His sibs mattered. Of course they did. He loved them. He was draped over this counter in excess sadness because of them…

No, that made it seem like it was their fault. It wasn't. It was his fault.

'_But what did I do?'_

_I don't know. It must've been bad because the cosmos isn't cutting you any slack._

'_Why am I sick?'_

_Good question._

'_Where did the cold come from?'_

_Who knows?_

'_Is it even a cold?'_

_Why bother asking that now? _

'_Is it too late?'_

_Yes._

'_Does what I do now have any consequence?'_

_No._

'_Who am I talking too?'_

_Yourself._

'_Am I going insane?'_

_Yes._

'_Than it doesn't matter. Does it really not matter? That sounds great. Heheh.'_

_You don't know what's going on. You don't know how your situation got like this. You don't know if you've been screwed over with your money situation or if it was just bad luck. You don't know how to fix yourself. You can't find Wakko. He's probably dead. Dot's probably given up on you too._

_Just give in to all these thoughts. Don't even entertain the notion that you could work toward making it get better. It'll only get worse. Follow that impulsiveness you relied so heavily on before. When an idea springs to mind, just do it. Embrace your final moments of sanity and realize that nothing else matters._

_Not you. Not your sibs. Not the world. Not in this moment._

_This is all you talking Yakko. Remember that._

'_Yeah… It's all me…'_

Bobby, Pesto, and Squit were staring at Yakko in obvious confusion. The boy who had refused the alcohol earlier for an obviously sound reason was now chugging down glass after glass as if it were soda. Bobby had told the kid to just drink _one_ glass as a kind offering but what was this? His eyes didn't seem like they were looking at anything. He was twitching quite a bit but the smile on his face made that seem like it was nothing to worry about, despite the fact that it was.

Absolutely nothing about Yakko's thoughts, his body, his movements, or his actions made sense anymore. Yakko was breaking down before because of it. As of now, though, he was embracing it. He was oblivious to his surroundings entirely now.

What just happened?

Yakko stumbled over the counter and grabbed a full bottle of bourbon from the shelf and started chugging away. The bar-tender looked on in fascination. He probably should've been worried about the minor drinking in front of him but… for some reason, he was getting chills just standing beside him…

"He's crazy." Bobby muttered.

"He's awesome." Pesto grinned.

"He's… really cold…" Squit's comment got him some confused looks. "His body heat shot from room temperature to that of a refridgerator in zero seconds flat." This was crepping him out. Yakko was starting up another bottle now, stumbling into the other bottles and knocking a few over as he did.

"So what? He's finally regained his fun side back. Encourage the kid for pete's sake. Why ya gotta be so negative?" Pesto shot toward Squit.

Yakko slammed the empty bottle down in front of the four birds, making them jump in surprise. He let out a rather loud belch and then started giggling like a toddler.

"Always wanted to try dis stuff. Hehee!" Yakko grinned, grapsing the empty bottle firmly. The bottle had cracked due to the impact. By now, quite a few heads had turned to the scene at the bar. What Yakko was doing wasn't exactly quiet… or normal.

"Y-Yeah, that's good but uh… I think maybe you've had enough so-" Bobby began. He didn't finish though as Yakko suddenly screamed and slammed the bottle onto the counter, shattering it into pieces.

"Dammit no! I can't listen to me anymore! Me's hurting my family! Gotta think smart-like again! It's useless, pointless. Can't do it! Haha! I can't do it!" Yakko shouted and twitched. His statement that seemed to go completely back and forth in such a short span was rather odd. How does someone go from saying they _should_ do something to saying that they _shouldn't_ try to do _anything_ in the same exact statement?

"O-Okay, this is starting to scare me now." Pesto remarked, realizing that this episode wasn't at all a fun-loving gesture on Yakko's part.

"Kid, calm down! Please. Whatever you need-" Bobby started up again before Yakko blew up at him.

"Who needs _yours_ help? Where were you before when I needed it huh? Who cares? Shut up and die!" Yakko screamed and violently flung the half broken bottle at them. They all ducked just in time to see it smash against the wall behind them.

It would've been bad had Yakko continued his onslaught. However, his eyes were dizzy and his balance was noticeably unsound. He ended up tripping over his own feet and slammed his chin into the counter before falling over onto the ground in a barely conscious heap.

He lay there, moaning in pain, hiccuping, and letting out a few random giggles with his body splayed out like a board.

"I… I don't think I care much about his body temperature anymore…" Squit squeaked out over the silence.

Yakko coughed onto the floor, more blood dripping from the side of his mouth...

* * *

Slappy was tired of this. It was way too annoying having to deal with this mystery and coping with the fact that she'd never forgive herself if she didn't continue looking through it.

Right now, she was walking down the concrete pathway towards the tavern. Maybe she was entertaining the thought of a nice Happy Hour to get her mind off the frustration.

"Nah, I'm not that conflicted." She decided. " I did manage to come to a relatively helpful solution today." This was true.

After she and Skippy went through everything they had; all the notes they had collected and all the information they had gathered, they had still ended up with no clear definition of what was up with that Tower. There was a lapse in hope in ever finding out what the deal was until Skippy brought up a news report that had been broadcasted while she was asleep. Imagine her luck on that one.

"I'll stop by the place and pick myself up one little drink. Then its back to using this little lead I have to my advantage." Slappy spoke to herself, yawning and trudging forward. "I'm sure Skippy wouldn't mind…"

She grimaced slightly as her discovery floated through her head. What did this mean for the people who were staying on this lot in the foreseeable future?

The report had been rather simple in the information it provided but to her it was a gold mine. Two people who had previously worked for Warner Brothers studios were found decapitated. The weapons used to do so were the same; two small axes ripped from a nearby hardware store. Absolutely no evidence was left behind to suggest that someone else had been there.

Upon hearing the news from Skippy, Slappy felt her heart do backflips. Instantly she recalled the small info she actually did have that told the story of how the people on the lot went crazy after approaching the water tower and started to kill each other those several decades ago. The preferred method of death was decapitation as well.

The recent murder mystery had been solved the instant she had heard about it. Now, she was convinced that whatever had plagued the lot those years ago had come back in some form. Maybe in a way that made it so you didn't even need to approach the tower…

"Yeah. There's no doubt about it." Slappy sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Those two guys _offed_ _themselves."_


	5. Disjointed Mentality

** Let's journey onward with our heads held high, even if the Warners themselves are dealing in some rather heavy stuff right now.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Disjointed Mentality**

"The cosmos does whatever it can to make sure I don't get to think straight." Slappy stomped to a stop in front of the tavern. It was way too loud in there. It wasn't the usual kind of loud where smelly old guys shouted obscenities and complained about their wives and the way the "big game" turned out last night.

It sounded a lot more frantic. There must've been a bit of a skirmish going on inside. Ha! Oh well. She couldn't complain. Not only did she want a drink but stuff like that she was always certain to put herself at the center of.

That's Slappy.

"Alright, where's the party and who's pants deserve the dynamite delivery first?" She burst in with a straight grin and her arms out, as if she was the guest of honor despite being certain no one expected her to show.

She looked around the room. It was a lot emptier than she was used to it being. That normally would be a good thing but what little people were there, were crowded around the bar. That was her favorite spot.

"… Something interesting on the shelf over there?" She muttered and stepped closer. The instant she did, she heard a glass bottle break and a familiar voice rang out to effectively catch her much needed attention.

"And then they all died. The end." The sentence was followed by a hiccup and yet another bottle breaking. This time she was close enough to see it get tossed to the ground. The bar-tender didn't look like he wanted to touch it. Seems he was a bit too rattled to attend to his own disrupted merchandise. But Who cared though? The sight before her was too disgusting to warrant the presence of fleeting thoughts.

"Yo! Yakko time to rack it in… forever! Get off that counter!" Slappy's voice was harsh and decisively poignant. Yakko Warner was indeed the one laying there, drapped over the counter with a blush face and the four scared Goodfeathers standing beside him, watching his antics.

"Oh, hey Ms. Squirrel. Youse wants some. Its way nasty but it's got this weird power. Makes your eyes go all fogged up and you forget like… ALL da bad stuff…" Yakko smirked and set the bottle into his mouth, sucking on it like a pacifier.

"Talking like Ralph…" Slappy grumbled before she shot her look toward the birds on the counter. They all slunk back a bit. The God-Pigeon muttered some gibberish to Bobby before zipping right off the scene like a dart. Bobby was about to translate but Slappy already had the remaining three in her grasp.

"Oh hey… h-how's it goin' eh?" Bobby asked the chagrined Squirrel through a choked voice.

"D-Don't ruffle the feathers okay. They're very sensitive." Pesto grunted which earned them all a tighter squeeze.

"Shut up." Was Slappy's initial response. The three of them nodded and squeaked out replies of agreement. Slappy looked them over as phrases like "Yeah sure", "Hey, no problem", and "What do we know anyway?" reached her ears.

"Is all gone…" Yakko groaned, now hanging the empty bottle from the tip of his tongue. It slid off and crashed into the ground, making yet another pile of glass to splay the area.

"Hmph. You tell me exactly what happened here. Why's the kid acting like that?" Slappy ordered.

"Well… he was drinking." Squit spoke up. The silence that followed was brief but emphasized how stupid and unnecessary everyone thought the statement was.

"Yeah. But WHY? Why'd you let a minor drink? Look at all these bottles? He dove right in and didn't stop from the looks of it." Slappy pointed across the ground. There was so much littering the floor. She didn't peg Yakko dumb enough to do stuff like this.

"Yeah we know. We tried stopping him but the kid went crazy." Bobby started to explain a lot quicker than before. The fear in his voice actually startled Slappy a bit. "He started throwing bottles everywhere and threatening to kill everyone. You just showed up but I assure you, it wasn't pretty. He went around smashing all that he could with his mallet. He looked hurt too cause he was bleeding from the mouth."

Pesto continued before Slappy could ask anything. "Every once in a while he'd just collapse, bleed out some more, than get back up and destroy stuff again. We couldn't stop him and whenever we tried to talk to the kid all he did was mutter stuff about failure and murder and nothing mattering anymore and cheese and…"

Slappy blinked at them before turning to face Yakko. He was still slumped over the counter only this time there was drool spilling from his mouth onto the floor. Slappy quickly cupped his chin in the palm of her hand and looked his face over. His mouth was rather bloody. Yakko stared at her, his eyes glassy, and moaned a tiny bit before muttering the lyrics to an annoying song Slappy heard on PBS Kids once.

"Did he hit his jaw or something?" She asked the birds after having let them go.

"Yeah. He slipped and BLAMO! Chin went cha-ching against the counter top." Pesto recounted for her. Slappy sighed and immediately grabbed Yakko by the arm. She tugged on it, effectively hoisting it and him over the counter, which forced him into a standing position. Yakko's body was swaying back and forth. If she let go he'd crash into the floor without fail.

"You're coming with me kiddo. No 'buts' and no hard time. Got that?" Slappy asked him, already knowing that expecting a coherent response was stupid. Yakko grumbled and slumped forward a bit, his face brushing against the side of her body.

Slappy shivered a bit and helped steady him into a preferable walking position. A mallet smashing spree would certainly do this much damage to a bar. It was nice knowing that he hadn't drowned all the broken glasses she had seen before her. That would've been devastating. The way he was now seemed more like a regular drunk… certainly he couldn't have outright poisoned himself. Those birds had better not have allowed that to happen at the very least.

"Erm… We're sorry we couldn't help more." Squit called after her as she left. Slappy scoffed at them.

"Be quiet before I whack you with my purse…"

* * *

"Come on kiddo. Just a bit more and you're there." Slappy urged as she was practically dragging Yakko along now. The kid was barely conscious and along the way he had let out a few stuttered coughs filled with blood. That was normal for a hit to the jaw right? She didn't know. She wasn't a doctor.

"Why am I engaging in all this charity anyway? This stupid kid is eating up all my time. Get up!" Slappy shouted in Yakko's ears which made the boy jolt a bit. He didn't get up though. Instead he stumbled forward and plopped on his butt shortly after.

That did it.

Slappy grabbed Yakko around the waist and trudged him toward the Water Tower. She scampered straight up the ladder with a really strong and annoyed determination that allowed her to reach the top just using a single hand and her tail, for a rather springy support.

When she made it to the top she all but dropped Yakko and slammed her fist repeatedly on the door.

"Open up! Special delivery!"

The door flung open, revealing an exasperated and tearful Dot Warner.

"Yakko! Oh my goodness! You're safe!" Dot rushed outside and cradled her older brother into her arms. After she had come back from the Acme Labs and found him gone, she was slightly worried before remembering that she had suggested he go see Dr. Scratchnsniff. It was, in hinesight, not that good of an idea to allow him to go off by himself but she figured she could trust his garbled mind to at least get that down.

When she visited Scratchy after a rather long wait, she received news that he did, in fact, show up but was reportedly seen stomping off in anger shortly after. She figured with how tired Yakko was, he'd want to head right back.

There wasn't anyway for her to have known how odd Yakko's bursts of energy came. One time he'd feel sleepy and drained, the next he'd feel just fine. Yakko hadn't told Dot or Wakko the symptoms for his mysterious sickness aside from what they saw, which was his constant coughing and dizzy spells.

She wasn't in the wrong but she couldn't help feeling terrible. "Oh Yakko. I'm so sorry. I should've known you weren't well enough to move on your own. Look at you." She cried slightly. "Where'd you find him."

"At a pub." Slappy's reply was quick and filled with digust. Dot did a double take. Why would Yakko be at a place like that?

"I don't know what the problem with you guys is but this isn't excusable. Like at all. You're all smart enough to know why this scene I'm seeing right now, should never have to go down. Ever." Slappy pointed at Yakko as she continued. "He was drinking. He drank quite a lot too. I don't know what got into him but that was very stupid. Maybe he_ is_ smarter beyond his years but to act upon something akin to what an adult would do if they were in a slump… I just can't stand seeing that."

Dot was taking this all in. She had to but didn't want to. It was just another extension to a horrifying truth concerning the developments going down lately. However, this wasn't any less shocking than the other ones.

Dot forced her brother's head up so that she could meet his half-open, bloodshot eyes.

"Yakko, wake up." He voice was soft but stern.

Yakko's pupils flickered a bit. He was aware of Dot's presence but didn't respond to it. He felt his eyes droop…

Dot slapped the side of his face. That jolted him completely awake now.

"What the heck do you think you're doing? Tell me what you're problem is? Did your brain melt? Why would you do something so stupid!" Dot scolded him. She had found herself furious. Wakko was missing, he was terribly sick, their debt was only getting bigger… what was he doing going out drinking of all things? It would've been stupid if he was of age but the fact that the act was totally illegal made it so much worse. It was the kind of thing Yakko would scold her and Wakko for even considering!

If Dot's anger was already flaring it got worse with the response he came up with.

"Doesn't… matter… not anymore…" Yakko's words hit the onlookers like a ton of bricks.

Dot was thoroughly confused. Her heart was pounding and her head was reeling. How could she convey a response to something so… stupid? Horrible? Insane? What word could possibly be used to describe what was happening right now?

Dot yanked Yakko into the tower and lightly pushed him at the couch. He stumbled rather easily and fell into his seat, not moving.

"Thank you Slappy. It's nice having people who care so much about us." Dot turned to say to the senior. If anything it was commendable how strong and determined she was despite being so old.

Slappy stared at Dot for a few seconds. She was contemplating just what exactly this picture was. Yakko was drapped over his couch, completely drunk and unknowingly out of his mind while Dot, stood by the door thanking her as if she were Yakko's mother. Not even an older sister but a mother. It was even weirder considering that she was neither in reality.

"You three… need to get your act together."

Dot's small thankful smile faded instantly. If there was anything she wanted to avoid entirely right now, it was the truth.

"Mallets, dropping anvils, gookies; all of that is so much more entertaining and spells for more success than this nonsense I see before me. Get back on your feet and go back to that. It's what you're best at." Slappy turned and began heading down the tower. "Check out Yakko's jaw. He wouldn't stop bleeding out of it the whole way here."

Dot nodded at the last of the advice she gave and shut the door. Slappy wasn't one to pull any punches, that's for sure. At the very least, she was being honest with them. She even said "You three" as if insinuating that Wakko was already home with them…

Dot made her way over to Yakko and sat beside him. Her older brother was awake now but his red eyes and his twitchy demeanor didn't make her feel like he was any closer to her.

What it felt like didn't matter. The fact was that he was here and she wanted an answer to the question from before, even if it killed her.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter anymore?" Dot's voice was moderate sounding. Yakko's eyes darted to her for a few seconds before they looked back out at the door again. "Answer me Yakko. So help me, I'll-"

"It's nothing. My mind collapsed on me for a bit." Yakko's words were unbelievably hoarse. His mind was still fresh sounding to him though.

_'That's a lie. It's still collapsed. Even now, I can't stop generating all these random thoughts. The need to destroy whatever I can find and hurt somebody just to do it…'_

"Yakko, tell me why you said it." Dot spoke, seemingly not having accepted that answer.

Yakko didn't accept the answer either. After all, it was a lie. He had expected her to accept something that even he hadn't? How rude was that?

"I'm just…" Yakko trailed off rather quickly. Horrid images flashed through his mind. All of them were blazing and red. It made him seize up.

"Just what?" Dot asked. Yakko was a talker. He was usually able to articulate his words better than this. However, the pattern of speech he was using now didn't make any sense.

"… Gonna hurt… someone…"

"Gonna hurt who?"

"Dunno. Losing my mind. I'm… losing m-" He stopped instantly.

"…?" Dot blinked at her older brother. This was just… so bizarre. What was wrong with him? Did booze do this to a person?

"Are you still drunk?"

"Dunno…" Yakko grumbled, his eyes fluttering. His sickness came and went all the time. Was drunkenness any different? Maybe Yakko just had a really weird body that fended off normal processes that took place within a regular person's body. Maybe it was an ability that he didn't notice until just this point of his life.

"Can you tell me… anything? Anything at all?" Dot wouldn't stop prying. It made Yakko's head hurt more.

"Too tired…" Yakko muttered and slumped back.

"No Yakko. You can't sleep yet." Dot spoke. She was afraid if he went to sleep and woke up tomorrow, he'd forget all that happened and why his thoughts were the way they were now.

Yakko had lost all the tact he had when he was sober. His head slumped against her shoulder and he was in a rather spontaineous deep sleep. Dot sighed in slight frustration. The fact that Yakko had woken up and was able to speak at least a little coherently was a blessing in of itself. She was pushing her luck asking him to stay awake.

With too hard an effort on her part, Dot managed to drag Yakko to his bed and got him under the covers. She patted his head and watched him sleep with her own tired eyes.

It seemed like Yakko really wasn't going to be much help from now on…

* * *

Finally they had managed to reach the Warner Brothers lot.

Honestly, Buttons figured that the party would've been the last time he'd be able to see the place in quite some time. There shouldn't have been any real need to come back.

Actually, there wasn't. However, he already went on his mental rant against Mindy's mother.

It was morning now and the two of them actually had to sleep at the park for the night. It was a good thing Mindy was a fan of camping out. She had brought all the supplies she needed for it on her own, despite her mother's insistence that she wouldn't need it.

The walk was rather long and it'd probably be longer if they couldn't find a ride back. He knew that the stuff Mindy had absent-mindedly shoved into her backpack might've come in handy despite wishing that it didn't have to.

Well, whatever. They were here now and that's all that really mattered.

For about two seconds.

Mindy was hunched over a dumpster in his line of sight. Normally Buttons would've rushed after her and pulled her back away from it with his teeth but… she didn't look like she was about to jump in which honestly startled the dog. Instead she was crying frantically at something inside it and pointing.

Buttons shook his head and raced toward her. As soon as he arrived on the scene, Mindy turned and jumped into the dog for a hug. She looked devastated.

Buttons didn't have to guess as to why. Whatever she saw was what did it. Surely it couldn't have been that awful. She was a child after all.

The thought was axed the very second he looked inside though. Panic coursed through him. He was about to yelp when he realized Mindy was still clutching him tightly, now crying. Buttons looked around frantically, not seeing anyone. His mind had gone into a jumble so quickly. When a plan of action finally hit him, he considered none of the others that came to mind soon after and acted immediately upon it.

His destination was the Water Tower.

* * *

"Urghhh… nuhhh…" Yakko let out sharp and painful moans as he clutched at his head. It was a hangover. His first ever one and hopefully his last.

Last night's fiasco was coming back to him in short painful bursts, but only the part that took place at the bar seemed to be in focus. His thoughts back there and what he was doing with himself all relaxed him rather than made him feel any shame.

It seemed all so fun. Taking his aggression and fear out on all those drinks… and those people… ! The scared and frantic looks on their faces when he-

Yakko bent forward at the next surge of pain that hit him.

_'What am I thinking? Why would something like that make me happy?'_

_It's your nature._

_'My nature? Yeah... it… it was… right?'_

_Yes it was._

_'I… really want to do more… even more. I can't though. Wakko's still missing. I gotta focus on getting him back.'_

_But he's dead._

_'He's not dead… '_

_If he came back he'd just be in danger._

_'Why?'_

_One day your siblings will get hurt because of you._

_'They will?'_

_Yes._

_'They will. I'd hurt them. I'll hurt Dot eventually. I gotta… stop myself.'_

_You can't._

_'Y-Yeah… it's hopeless… nothing else matters anymore. There's no way to save anyone. I never would've thought that the world was so pointless before. It's so exciting, being able to do whatever you want. Haha…Heheheh…'_

Dot was standing there in the doorway, watching Yakko grab at his head and fidget on the bed. She was already scared and concerned. Suddenly hearing a soft, gush of laughter come from Yakko as he entertained himself with his thoughts didn't help matters any.

"Yakko… um..." Dot spoke up, allowing Yakko to know that he was here.

Yakko flinched and turned to face her. His look seemed as if he was wondering why she was standing there. Why would that have been something he needed to question?

"Dottie…" Yakko's voice seemed so sad… despite the giggling he was just doing. What's with the consistency surrounding his behavior? It was creeping her out.

"It's Dot. Call me Dottie and you die. You remember that at least?" She spoke, not at all amused but not trying to take the name calling all that seriously.

"Then kill me."

Now _that _sounded serious.

"Yakko, please don't try to joke around. The way you are now, you wouldn't be able to pull it off." Dot spoke, eyeballing his sullen features. Yakko's frown turned into a sudden grin. He started to giggle, seemingly in an uncontrollable fit.

"Right… a joke… that's what that was." Yakko spoke clearly and looking right at her. How does she respond to that?

"Yakko, things aren't that bad."

"Ha. Oh yeah they are. If you don't do it to me, life will eventually. Time to go out and have as much fun as I can. No limitations this time. No more bullcrap moral code. Sound fun?" Yakko's speech was rather spastic. Still, it didn't blind her from what he had just said.

"Knock it off! You're not being funny! This is just morbid and stupid!" Dot yelled at him.

Yakko blinked and his frown returned.

"Right… I'm sorry…" Yakko's voice was sad again. Just a second ago he was giggling like a madman.

As if Dot needed more reminders that Yakko's mind was on the fritz…

As Yakko began clutching his head in pain again, a knock on the door caused them both to jolt upward.

"Is that Wakko?" Yakko blurted out, sounding hopeful. His voice seemed so desperate there.

"I-I doubt it… Yakko, just stay in bed. You're obviously not well in more ways than one…" Dot hated, absolutely hated, having to admit that.

Yakko felt his body shiver as he laid his head back on the headboard of the bed. He let out an exasperated sigh and groaned to himself. Dot gave him another concerned look before going to answer the door.

What was with his behavior? She knew this wasn't normal already. She got that. It still didn't explain to her how his behavior could possibly be described. Ever since he had woken up, he had jumped from sad, to scared, to outright depressed, to laughing at nothing. When he was laughing, Dot could tell that they weren't laughs originated from happiness. They were spontaneous bursts that seemed to come from some sort of realization he had made within his head. Apparently, every single one had enticed him to giggle about it before he went back into his slump.

Whatever thoughts were crossing his mind wasn't helping him. What could she do about that though? Tell him to stop thinking? That was something you could scold anyone for and yet they could still do and get away with scot-free.

Dot opened the tower door, letting these thoughts take hold of her, when she was suddenly being barked at by Buttons the dog. Dot was taken by quite a surprise. What was he doing here? Why the sudden visit? Why was he barking at her? How'd a dog climb the ladder?

Buttons grabbed her dress by his teeth and pulled her forward, beckoning her to follow along.

"Uhm… I-I can't exactly… Yakko can't really be left alone, he…" Dot began before noticing the fear scribbled on Buttons' face. She found herself at the ladder and making her way down it because of that alone. Buttons didn't often make that face. However, when she saw Mindy, of all people, standing at the bottom, crying and shaking with such a a big eyed drawl of tears streaming down her face, Dot almost fell off the ladder trying to reach the bottom.

Buttons no longer had to drag her along. Dot followed obediently, knowing something was terribly wrong. Something that warranted her immediate attention apparently.

She felt an ever growing sense of dread as she pushed herself into a sprint. The faster she went, the faster Buttons seemed to go, and the heavier her heart got.

The destination was the dumpster near the enterance to the lot. Buttons stopped in front of it with Mindy clinging to the rattled dog's back. Apparently it was in there; whatever it was they wanted her to see.

No. She knew what it was. Her sweating features, fast heart rate, and flickering pupils could vouch for that. She knew exactly what was in there. Each step she took toward it made her heart beat ever faster. If it went on at the rate it did, she'd pass out before she got to see over the edge…

But she made it... and slowly, ever so slowly, looked inside.

A small shriek exited her mouth, followed by her covering it with the palms of her hands. She shook her head back and forth and let tears spill from her eyes. Her knees knocked and she was feeling sick.

She turned away from the dumpster and vomited to the side. The queasiness had taken her over for a good long minute before she sucked in her gut and wiped her mouth clean.

Yes, it was Wakko. Of course it was Wakko's body.

They weren't doctors so they could only assume the worst, when they had found Wakko Warner's body in there, bloodied and beaten to the point where he looked doused in crimson splotches.

The way he was just splayed there, with his leg at an odd angle, without his hat but instead with long slashes across his body that allowed his substinance to leak through like mini waterfalls was way too much for her. She was only a child. The youngest of the three Warners in fact…

Dot hurriedly, darted inside the nearest open building. It was still early in the morning but someone had to be on the lot at all times. It was a saving grace.

Ralph was in there. Dot didn't care who it was she had found. He was a familiar face and she ran up to his leg crying and begging for him to call an ambulance. She screamed it at him and pleaded for him to do so, as if he was holding her at gun-point and saying that he wouldn't.

The Guard was confused but new that whatever this was, it wasn't to be taken lightly. It wasn't every day a Warner came up to him to do this.

The number was dialed. The people were notified. And once Ralph was dragged outside to see what the fuss was about, the location was identified.

Needless to say, he didn't mind allowing the girl to grip at his leg and cry into it after seeing the body.

Everything was moving in slow motion for everyone around the scene. When an ambulance made it's way onto the lot, Plotz was the first person to hurry there, demanding to know what had happened. Next came Dr. Scratchnsniff, than Hello Nurse. Rita and Runt followed suit with Pinky and the Brain tailing them.

More and more crowded around the area, effectively making a large spectacle of the discarded body found in the dumpster by a little girl and her dog.

It was all too cruel a world out there.

* * *

Yakko fell out of bed. He did that a lot lately. He supposed the surprise of hearing a knock on the door was a good enough excuse to. He wished it didn't have to be so bombastic though. His hangover still hurt.

"Maybe I could mallet them… that'd be fun. I'd so get even." Yakko muttered, a small grin forming on his tired lips. The thoughts of physically abusing people just kept crossing his mind. He couldn't get the images out of his head. They scared him so much… at times. Others he'd find that he rather liked indulging in the fantasies his brain supplied him with.

As a cartoon, he had limitless imagination too. The things someone like him could do with a mallet, an avil… an axe…

The door was pounded so hard it seemed as though it might spring open any moment. Yakko quickened his pace and made it there before he effectively gained another migraine. Opening it, he was greeted with Slappy's, unusually shaken, but recognizably angered face. Was it directed at him? His memory of last night was fuzzy but he remembered hearing someone sounding like her, raving at him about something.

"Yakko! Get your butt down to the hospital! Pronto!" Slappy shouted at his face.

Yakko stood there wide-eyed. Hospital? For what? Wait… where's Dot?

"Where's Dot!" Yakko found himself shouting. His newfound extreme paranoia was kicking in again. He hated how the things he felt and the emotions he expressed switched on a dime all of a sudden now. Or did he? He didn't know. Where the hell was Dot?

Suddenly, the thoughts of torture and pain weren't entertaining to him anymore. As they all started rushing back, his vision was filled with red. The unpleasant red that didn't remind you of a candy apple…

"She's at the hospital!" Slappy grabbed Yakko's arm. She wasn't waiting for any of his answers. This was too important.

"She-She's hurt? Is she hurt?" Yakko's pupils dialated.

_Good. One less mouth to fee-_

'_NO! Dot! Little sis! Please be alright!'_

"Dot's fine!" Slappy interjected, hoisting him over her shoulders and sliding down the ladder. "It's the other one. Wakko!"

_Hopefully I'll arrive too late._

_'Wakko? Wakko's been found! Is he gonna be alright! No! Please not the hospital!'_

_He'll die._

_'Not Wakko! He can't die! No! God no! PLEASE!'_

Slappy wasn't surprised by Yakko's silence. He must've been stunned. It must've seemed that way at least with Yakko fighting with himself inside his head. The oldest silbling gulped suddenly and muttered out something almost inaudible.

"… Wakko… I can't believe…"

* * *

Skippy continued to pat Dot's back as she cried and blubbered all over herself in the waiting room. Skippy didn't exactly know how to cope with this either. He knew his fear and his feelings couldn't compare to Dot's at the moment though. His comforting probably wouldn't get her anywhere. This seemed especially true with him not knowing how to deal with his own stance.

Beside them were Pinky and the Brain. A large row of papers were splayed out in front of them, leading right off the bench and onto the floor. Brain looked terrible, as if he had taken the pencil he always hit Pinky with and smashed it against his own head numerous times. Pinky looked just as awful though. Anyone could tell they were tired and forcing themselves awake as they looked the notes over.

"Nope. Twice now Brain. You've looked through all that junk twice. There was nothing wrong. The machine was just being mean! I told you we should've given it a spanking." Pinky spoke out wearily.

Brain groaned and pulled at his hair. He simply couldn't accept that the machine had been working properly. "No Pinky. There's gotta be something here that I missed. Keep looking."

He wouldn't stop. The only way it couldn't work is if he were trapped in something organic or buried under ground. There's no possible way he'd have been buried in the ground for over a week without death overtaking him. Even if his captors were that cruel, and whoever this was obviously were, there's just no getting around how ridiculous the notion was that he could've survived it.

This was Wakko they were talking about. When was food not a priority? Never mind the lack of oxygen.

Dot, who was shelling out sob after heart-wrenching sob had managed to compose herself just well enough to turn and see how Pinky and the Brain were agonizing over this situation. She couldn't help having the thought cross her mind concerning how nice they were being and how broken up they seemed over this. She couldn't blame them for their machine not working right. Or maybe it really was working right like they said. Either way, it's obvious who's fault it wasn't.

Dot didn't want to have more people fretting because of all this. She loved knowing that people cared but if too many people cried, spazzed out, and worried, it'd give off the feeling that Wakko might not ever recover from this. The more dire the situation was treated, the more dire the consequences are predicted to be. Maybe things truly were as bad as they seemed but… it wouldn't hurt to lie about it, right?

She just wished somebody would tell her things will be okay. She wanted the doctor to come out and not only say that Wakko was perfectly fine but there was a cure for whatever was ailing Yakko and there was enough money stock-piled in their accounts for any and all complications. Maybe there'd be enough hidden in there to get them back on their feet. They could start a new show and it'd be a hit and this time they'd use the money wisely instead of wasting it on the more trivial stuff. They'd be happy again.

"Dot!" The people waiting on the bench outside the operating room turned to face the direction of the voice. Yakko was sprinting right toward them and skidded to a complete hault once he came face to face with Dot. The wind blew Brain's papers up a bit. He was too distraught to care.

"Y-Yakko?" Dot looked genuinely surprised. When she saw Slappy bring up the rear she understood though. She hadn't exactly told Slappy about what she figured Yakko's mental situation was. She didn't really wish to tell anybody though. Still, even if he had a right to be here, was it okay to allow it?

How do you treat someone whom you think may be on the brink of insanity? The question couldn't be any easier to answer if that person wasn't your older brother.

How was she supposed to know how to treat him? She needed to get him help. But then, how would she go about that? Dr. Scratchnsniff had already tried right? Wasn't that his field? Does she just keep him locked in his room and hope it goes away? Just thinking about this made Dot want to cry. For goodness sake, _she_ wasn't the oldest nor the smartest or even the most mature. Yakko was. Why was all of this falling onto her shoulders. She had _no idea_ what to do.

"D-Dot. I-I'm here. Where's Wakko! Let me see him!" Yakko had raised his voice at her, as if she was hiding him behind her back or something.

"Yakko… I-I can't see him either. He's-" Dot gasped when Yakko grabbed her shoulders.

"I need to see him! Please! My mind is reeling right now. It hurts a whole lot! Let me see him!" Yakko began to shout with his grip on Dot tightening. The littlest Warner was feeling scared now. She forced her eyes shut to endure the pain.

"Y-Yakko. Please. You're hurting me…" Dot managed to get out.

"Wh-What?" Yakko blinked and looked at the position his hands were in. He jerked himself back as if Dot's fur were composed of acid. Yakko had frightened himself apparently. His eyes were shifty and his sweaty features began to rattle a bit. Dot sat back next to a stunned Skippy Squirrel, not as shocked as him, but still rather taken aback.

Slappy had been about ready to pry Yakko off of her before he did so himself. His behavior wasn't registering to her at all. Pin-pointing what the deal with other people was when they acted out was usually something she could do quite well. At least it was clear as of right now though. Yakko wouldn't stop staring at his hand.

"R-Right… I'm sorry sister sib." Yakko muttered just loud enough for her to hear. Dot, now starring at the wall, simply nodded and didn't retaliate. There didn't seem to be much point.

Yakko slammed his back against the wall and slid down it until he hit the ground, just looking at his hand in disbelief. Slappy eye-balled him with a collective amount of destain and confusion. Turning her gaze back to the equally quiet and distant Dot Warner sent off warning bells. What exactly they were warning her of, she couldn't say, but it was something bad. Most definitely it was worth looking into… after it came to light what Wakko's condition was.

Yakko himself though, wasn't thinking about that at all. He was a monster who didn't deserve to think. What was that all about? Why'd he do that to Dot? He hoped she would forgive him. He wasn't stupid enough to go and ask for it though.

Maybe he wasn't actually the older brother. Maybe he was just some sort of creature that ate the real one and took up the mantel because he thought it'd be fun?

_No. No. Too harsh. You're being way too harsh Yakko._

'_Am I?'_

_Wakko and Dot are important. Will they remain that way?_

'_They will. They're my sibs.'_

_The sibs need to be informed of the plight that befalls toons who just allow life to happen to them rather than take charge and change life for themselves._

'_That's true. A chance… I just need to give them a chance…'_

_If they don't take that chance than who needs them… they have no more significance otherwise…_

'_But… I love them… right… Dot and Wakko… everything I do is for them… why am I fighting with myself over this! I know what I want! I know that I love them! SHUT UP! Leave me alone!'_

_But I'm the one who's talking. Me._

'_Yes! I know it's me! I know that… but… … '_

_How do you tell yourself to go away?_

'… _I … I can't…'_

Yakko let out a whimper, now hunched over with his hands over his head, which was now buried into his knees. He stayed like that for a good ten minutes before the doctor finally decided to show himself.

Dot and Skippy shot their heads up, about ready to barrage the man with questions before he began talking; effectively getting the jump on them.

"We know you have a lot of questions but-" The doctor began. It was a shame that he wasn't keen on how little Slappy cared about tact.

"Is he awake yet? Answer me." The squirrel demanded.

"Well… no. As he is now, he's been seriously injured, dehydrated, and starved to the point where it's a miracle that he's even alive."

Dot let out a cold, hard breath. It wasn't one of relief but of extensive worry. How could he just up and say something like that with her around?

"We're looking into his rehabilitation but for now, we don't expect him to awaken anytime soon..." The doctor actually trailed off, finally noticing the abundance of kids in the room. Of course, they all knew what this meant.

Wakko was in a coma.

Yakko didn't move from his spot on the floor.

He had heard everything though. Immediately after he did, he left their world and re-entered his own. The place where his thoughts fought to dictate his actions…

The subject matter was even scarier than the rest but… he couldn't hold the conversation with himself off. Not for this. Yakko allowed his tears to hit the tiled floor. A harsh realization had overtaken him. It scared him to his very core.

It was time to debate whether or not acting upon the desire to murder would lead to something prosperous…

And whoever did this to Wakko; he didn't want to allow them to live…

He didn't want to allow it…

_'And maybe... maybe I don't have to...'_


	6. Murder

_We go deeper into this from here on out. Desperately seeking answers with fragmented results for Yakko and company. Let's move forward._

* * *

_**Chapter 6: Murder**_

Yakko was sitting on a small stool at Wakko's beside. He was just sitting there and staring right at him. The ever unpleasant and prominent frown on his face was plastered there and it wouldn't waver.

Dot watched Yakko as he just sat there and watched his brother as if he were some sort of still picture on a projector screen. There was nothing to talk about, nothing to react to, and nothing to help accomplish. It was a horrible, awful, vulnerable feeling he had right now.

The pit in his stomach and his ever confused mind were telling him just how ashamed he should be. This was constant. It wouldn't go away because Yakko was convinced that it was true. As the oldest, this isn't something your efforts concerning the well-being of your siblings should lead to. Other older brothers probably helped their younger brothers and sisters by preparing them for the future or making sure they stayed out of danger. They probably made sure their sibs were well fed and didn't constantly get into fights or something.

Meanwhile, his big brother resume included the opposite of all that. Wakko was in a coma for goodness sake! What the hell is this?

Yakko felt himself shiver a bit.

Looking back, he probably wasn't the best role model. Trying to remain the most mature while still being extremely crazy and zany didn't always work out for the best. He was still angry at himself for how stubborn he was being in refusing to accept that he might've been acting childish when he got into that fight with Dot on their trip to the Circus.

Yakko let out a bit of a grumble and winced a tiny bit. It was that embarrassing.

'_Recounting my failures isn't going to help a darn thing.'_

_But what can I do? Wakko is in a coma. Maybe this is just retribution for going against what I say._

'_No. That's not right. Wakko doesn't deserve this for disobeying me. No one does.'_

_He was stupid enough to get caught and even stupider to let them do this to him. Look at that I-V and the work that had to be done to get the poor kid stable. It's bad enough he has hypoglycemia and had to go a week without his shots. It's the picture of patheticness._

'_Yeah it is… No! No it isn't! He can't help that.'_

_Plus, he did all those idiotic things from before for a rather simple revenge. If someone wants revenge, they should just go the extra mile. _

'_No. Stop it.'_

_Something horrific and terrifying is what he should've engaged in. It should've been something that let the public know from the get go that there were no second chances._

'_I don't wish what happened to Wakko on anybody…'_

_Yes you do. There are tons of people you wish it on. You just don't want to admit it. But you are. Right now. And that moment before when you contemplating committing mu-_

'_That was a spur of the moment thing…! I don't really want to… I can't really want to… I shouldn't… '_

_Why shouldn't you? Nothing matters anymore. You already know this._

'… '

Yakko was sitting there in extreme silence now. Dot was in a fit of extreme worry. She hated seeing him suddenly go limp like a zombie and stare down at nothing with those soulless eyes he had steadily developed over the course of these recent events.

Yakko suddenly swallowed and grabbed at his head with both his hands, as if trying to squeeze all the current thoughts out by pressing his brain inward.

He didn't like thinking all these things. He thought he didn't at least.

He didn't want to hurt anybody. At least, he thought he didn't.

But then, why would he think he didn't want to if he was constantly telling himself that he did want to?

"Make sense! I'm losing my mind!" He suddenly blurted out, hopping off the chair, and scaring Dot. She was getting so much more cautious around him and with good reason too. He was certainly unstable. It's so scary not knowing what exactly was wrong with him and what action he might take next.

"Y-You're what? Who do you want to make sense?" Dot couldn't let that statement slip by despite her instant fear.

"H-Huh?" Yakko let his head go and looked down at Dot. She jumped. He noticed it right away too. What was he doing? Scaring his little sister and failing to protect his little brother was one thing, but now he couldn't even control his own worthless thoughts. It was bad before but now the stuff he didn't want to admit to himself just kept coming. The urge to act on it was too strong. He needed to get out of this stuffy hospital.

It's too cramped! It's way too hot. Wakko's bandaged and wire connected body is making him twitch and itch about. Just looking at him made him think Wakko was going to die. If he was as good as dead he might as well kill him to make it go faster. NO! Why would he say something like that? How selfish would it be to cut off his sibling's life span just so he could be less worried and feel sadder sooner? Stop talking as if he's going to die. The only people dying are those bastards who did th-

"Augh!" Yakko grabbed at his head again and stomped toward the door. Dot was attempting to reach out to him. She even mouthed his name by accident. It was an attempt to call out to him but the sound just didn't reach her throat. Yakko managed to catch the look she was giving him. It made her reel back.

"Y-Yakko… y-you should head home… someone should escort y-"

"I don't need no stupid escort! I can go home by myself!" Not two seconds after having said that, Yakko hacked up a wad of blood into his glove. Dot's eyes widened, as it was the first time she had seen blood come from his mouth. Was this sickness reaching a dangerous climax?

"Yakko!" Dot made a grab at his hunched over body in order to support him. Yakko, however, shook her off and stepped back.

"Stop looking at me like that… with all that pity and fear. I'm not sick. I'm not crazy! Just leave me alone!" Yakko yelled and almost bowled the doctor over as he came in to demand they remain quiet with the patient here. Yakko burst right past him and Dot raced after him from behind.

"Yakko! Stop! You can't go-!" Dot slipped on the tiled floor and fell flat on her face. The tiny stars that filled her vision caused her to lose sight of Yakko when she lifted her head back up. Shaking them off did nothing, as he was already gone by the time her eyes cleared up.

She just sat there, on the floor, confused and scared. She was scared about so many things right now. She didn't know where Yakko was going. She didn't know what Wakko's true condition was. She didn't know what she was doing! She felt so helpless!

Dot scrunched up in the fetal position on the floor, catching the passing people off guard. Some wondered if she was extremely sick or abnormal. Others simply ignored her. She didn't care at all about what they thought. Her ever growing pile of tears was her only concern now.

How would it be possible to make these excess piles of tears disappear? At this point, was that possible?

* * *

"So it was working correctly." Brain muttered to himself. It was about the 12th time he did it though, which made Pinky extraordinarily confused.

"Are there more than 10 machines Brain? Were they all running at the same time? If so than I may need glasses. Gadzooks, Brain! My eyes! They burn!" Pinky started to freak himself out.

"Your eyes are fine Pinky."

"Oh. If you say so. NARF! Haha." Pinky fixed himself as Brain sighed and laid down the blueprints for the machine they had used to try and trace Wakko's whereabouts.

"The machine was working just fine. The problem was one of the conditions I mentioned. I was so frazzled I didn't think of it sooner but it's the only thing that makes sense." Brain said standing up straight.

"Wakko's a ghost?" Pinky suggested.

"No. He's not dead. I mean one of the other conditions where it wouldn't work. He was buried." Brain began pacing for a bit before stopping on a dime for no particular reason. His mind was in a daze. He was so tired. Pinky was too. His energy just kept pushing forth despite that though.

"Um… no. You also said that he couldn't have been buried because of the stuff he needs to breathe and eat and not die and junk." Pinky looked at him with his hands outward in confusion.

"If he were truly just buried into the ground, yes. However, this is special case." Brain sat down suddenly and grabbed at the paper, feeling his fists crinkle it as anger overtook him. The frustration of this machine's current shortcomings bothered him immensely.

"The people who did that to Wakko… wherever their hideout is, it's definitely underground…"

* * *

Yakko had just needed some time to himself.

Yeah, that's all that commotion was.

He needed to get away and think about all this. That usually led to good things right? Wait, no it didn't. He hated being alone with his thoughts. However, he couldn't just stay there with Dot and Wakko. He had felt so claustrophobic. He felt so ashamed with the fact that he had left but…

Eventually, Dot came home and saw Yakko curled up on his side on the couch. He was just looking at the T.V. Old re-runs of their show were on and it was one of their earlier cartoons. She saw him admiring how all three of them would bounce across the screen in happiness. The way the "special friend" of the episode would either submit and give up or eventually concede to their exploits and be better off for it was astonishing to watch play out. They seemed like gods. It was as if they could accomplish anything.

Dot made her way to the side of the couch, looking at the cartoon as well. She only turned away from it to look at Yakko when he let out a rather harsh and shaky cough. His mouth was bleeding.

Dot sighed heavily and sat next to him. Yakko didn't move or make a motion that acknowledged her presence. She had wanted to tell him that he needed a doctor. She also wanted to tell him that her efforts to keep him in bed and to make sure all the right people were spoken to in order to ensure his safety weren't just for making a play at being the oldest herself. She was doing all this because neither Wakko or Yakko were in a position capable of doing so for themselves.

She wanted to tell him all that but the way he was shaking and the way his glazed eyes wouldn't react to her presence made it impossible.

Yakko remained that way. After he was done watching the T.V he stumbled off to bed by himself, not saying a word as he passed Dot. He looked as though he had just finished arguing and fighting with someone though. She knew that he hadn't moved at all despite that.

She had done all that she could as the youngest sibling and was still determined to do more. The days went on with Yakko remaining the way he was, wrestling an idea unknown to Dot as she went off to seek probable help in finding knowledge about Yakko's illness. Absolutely nothing turned up. Just like before, no one seemed to know what he had or if it was truly dangerous.

It had to be dangerous. Blood meant danger, right? Of course it did.

Wakko didn't come out of his coma. The hospital was the only place Yakko would often leave the water tower to go visit. He always left at the exact same time during the day. The clock always read 12:03 or 12:04 when he had shut the door behind him and slumped his way across the lot, toward the hospital.

He never spoke to Wakko at his bed side. He didn't mention a thing about his own problems. He didn't say a thing about how the Water Tower seemed to be his only place of comfort. He simply sat there and looked at Wakko. His eyes were vacant, all the time, and they hardly ever blinked.

What he was thinking was to forever be a secret apparently. Yakko, the chatterbox, hardly spoke anymore. It only got worse as the days dragged on.

And on. And on.

Wakko wouldn't wake up.

A week passed. He still slept.

Yakko's consciousness bite at him as he continued doing what he did when he visited him. He sat there and did nothing.

He didn't want to confront what was happening. He didn't want Wakko to stay in that coma though, that was for sure. Would he wake up soon? When would it be?

More days passed.

Was Yakko ready for any kind of confrontation. Any at all?

It finally reached 10 days.

The routine stayed the same. It didn't change. Yakko didn't change. Nor did Wakko.

And with the sense of thinking he knew just what happened to Wakko biting at his consciousness, he had been unquestionably taken aback and a bit scared when he had received the news on the 12th day that Wakko had finally woken up.

* * *

And there he was.

It was the day after he had effectively woken up. The 13th day.

Sitting up slightly straight in the hospital bed with all the I-V cables stuck to his body was Wakko Warner. The heart monitor beeped steadily to his side. He had felt as though he had been pounded with a mallet made from a literal ton of bricks. His eyes were barely open and his vision was barely functioning.

Still, he was alive. It alarmed him that he actually was alive though. He was confused as to where he was for so long after initially waking up. He had heard the doctor say some weird stuff that he couldn't understand. Him and Hello Nurse did some weird tests and eventually he was left alone for about an hour before being informed that his siblings were on the way to greet him.

Throughout all of that Wakko had made conclusions concerning the situation in his head, never once speaking a single solitary word. It was still an improvement over yesterday though. The day he woke up, he literally couldn't form a thought. He wasn't even sure who he was or where he was to be sure.

These people were caretakers. They were doctors. The blonde was Hello Nurse. He knew her. She was real pretty and nice. He liked kissing her cheek a lot. She worked on an off the lot as an assistant for Scratchy and a nurse for the hospital. He knew all that.

Next was the info about his predicament. From what he could tell, his body had no longer felt so cold and drained like it did the incredibly long week or so away from his readily available shots helping to treat his hypoglycemia. His case of it wasn't too severe of course, but, he still considered it a miracle that he was able to be brought back from such a long absent care with the condition.

His body had bandages all over. He couldn't exactly remember why at first but his breathing almost halted and his heart monitor beeped a bit faster when he recalled what had happened. The faces of those three lunatics with their knives and the way they were cutting into his body while soaking in the pleasure of seeing him scream and cry and beg for mercy was just grouse.

He had managed to calm himself down a bit. Forcing the thoughts out of his mind now that they had come back had been surprisingly easy. His head was throbbing. It must be because of that. He decided to think about what else was going on with him.

He had managed to piece together pretty much everything as of right now. He even realized that he was currently in a diaper underneath the hospital gown. How fun.

With all of what he knew was going on in his head now, his harsh thoughts from before started to force themselves back in. He didn't want to remember all that but what else was there to think about? He remembered the end of the party and how he had heard footsteps approach from behind. He remembered his head suddenly being dealt a sharp blow that had caused him to bleed from the top. He remembered stumbling about and seeing enough singing birdies to last a millennia.

Than he remembered how dark the place he woke up in was. He recalled how dank and wet everything seemed to be. He remembered their already bloody knives cutting into his skin. He remembered them taunting him and calling him poor. They had told him over and over that this was his older brother's fault and he hadn't believed them.

He loved Yakko. He may have said that he didn't believe in his exploits anymore but… that wasn't something he felt he could control. Plus, it was a simple truth. It didn't mean he didn't love his older bro. However, worry flooded his system when those three kids started to outline what his reasoning for being here was and why it is that they had chosen to kidnap him.

All of what they said made sense. That was what scared him the most.

More visions of them torturing him, cutting him, beating him, making him vomit by sticking their fingers in his mouth just for kicks… all of it was making Wakko cry. He sat there, alone in his room, forcing his eyes closed and allowing the tears to gush out from under his eye-lids.

Why him? No, why them? Why the Warner Siblings? Maybe they had acted like brats quite a lot but they were just kids. Was all this really necessary? If it was a lesson in being good and not acting out than he'd more than abide by it. No problem. He didn't want anything even remotely close to this ever happening again. He'd apologize to whatever divine being he had pissed off a thousand times over and bow at their feet if they promised to let up on this harsh punishment.

That's all that this could've been; a really harsh punishment. One that… his older brother of all people had probably set into motion.

"Wakko!" Dot yelled as the door burst open, shocking the middle child, and ran over to Wakko's side. She wrapped her arms around him in a rather careful hug that avoided all the equipment attached to him. "You're awake! You're really alive!"

She hadn't meant to say 'alive' but how could he blame her?

Wakko blinked in confusion, as if not knowing how to react, before spotting his red cap in her hands. She had found his favorite cap. It was enough to make an older brother cry. Having her here, right now, hugging him close in a warm embrace had sent him over the edge though. He summoned whatever strength he had and managed to slightly return the hug. His body was so weak and tired that he was stunned by how clear everything was becoming in his line of sight.

He could easily make out the solemn and relieved expression on his brother's face as he entered the room.

Dot finally broke away from Wakko with a small smile formed on her lips. She looked at Wakko and put her hand over his. "He's been coming over here every day without fail. You're all he could think about during the time you were missing and unconscious."

Wakko didn't say anything to that. He stared ahead at Yakko with his tired eyes and realized how awful it was that he wasn't particularly happy to see his older brother like he was to see Dot. Yakko looked… weird. He couldn't tell if that expression he had was one of relief, happiness, sadness, or fright. Yakko himself looked awful. Did he ever sleep? He looked about ready to fall over dead…

Yakko forced a small smile to his features. He looked ahead at Wakko at the position of the bed side where he had always been to stare at the younger Warner sibling while he was in his coma.

"You're a sight for really, really tired and sore eyes. Welcome back bro." Yakko spoke. It was the first time in a long while that Yakko had said anything resembling something his old self would've said. Dot had to grin at this. Wakko's expression didn't change.

"… It's…" Wakko was about to say that it was good to be back but that didn't feel appropriate for some reason. He didn't want to engage in any uncomfortable formalities. He needed his questions answered immediately, less he be unable to sleep at night.

"It's what?" Yakko asked, resting his hand on the bedside with Dot.

"… Yakko…" Wakko wasn't looking at his brother. Trying to find words to say and trying to make sure they came out right was hard enough for someone in his condition. He wouldn't be able to take facing his older brother's possible reaction faces. "… Please… tell me the truth…"

Yakko's eyes widened slightly. Dot made a confused expression. She turned to Yakko and saw a very sudden look of fear etched on his face. He was already beginning to sweat.

"T-Tell you… what truth…?" Yakko muttered, gripping the sheets on the bed.

"… Were you really borrowing money from those people…?" Wakko's question reached Yakko and Dot's ears. In one swift burst the truth behind Yakko's actions from before were revealed to Dot and the identity of the culprits was revealed to Yakko.

He remembered the words of that one kid who acted like the leader. He recalled him saying that he'd extend the time Yakko had to pay them back and that no harm would come to him. Indeed, no harm came to him. His little brother took the full force of the punishment in his stead...

Suddenly putting these thoughts together, Yakko slapped his hand over his mouth. He began to reel a bit in dizziness and felt extremely sick. The implications behind this were starting to cloud his mind.

"… I… I didn't have a choice… " Yakko started to talk with his hand lowered. "I couldn't rake in anymore money from the re-runs or the DVD sales… I couldn't find anymore money and the rent and the food and the supplies we needed… we needed…" Yakko's words were disjointed and panic ridden. Dot was now fully facing his direction, total shock and awe dominating her facial features.

"You… you took money from those… from those people… people from some back alley who won't shut up about their boss and how much money he already has…" Wakko started to articulate his rather raging thoughts. "Someone like that… you can't… you shouldn't have… why would you…?"

"I'm sorry!" Yakko blurted out, with both his hands clutching the bedside. Dot was still standing there, shocked to her very core.

"Sorry! Y-You're sorry? Look at what they… DID to me…!" Wakko was started to shout. He was panting and sweating already though. He was too weak and frail to be getting so worked up but he just felt so legitamitely betrayed by his older brother. He couldn't help it. This experience had been so terrifying! He thought they were going to kill him!

"I did it so that we could live better. I was trying to help us. I didn't want this." Yakko was pleading down at his younger brother, tears dribbling down his face. "I would never dream of hurting you Wakko!"

Wakko was already crying as much as Yakko was. "I… can't believe it… after all those things those freaks did to me and how sleazy they were… they were actually telling the truth…"

Yakko's tearful eyes twitched. "Wakko, please forgive-"

"Yeah right…"

"Wakko!"

"GO AWAY! Don't EVER visit me here again!" Wakko yelled, effectively helping to drain what little energy he had left. He felt himself plop against the pillow covered in sweat and out of breath. Still, he wouldn't face Yakko. Not anymore. He turned away quickly and shook off the hand that had come to his side, knowing it was Yakko just trying to regain his discarded attention.

Yakko just stood there with his hand out toward his brother. He couldn't handle this. He had just come to realize his huge mistake in the worst possible way imaginable.

Now, his little brother had been effectively tortured, put into a coma, and had landed into a hospital room because of him. It had all been because of him. Now, to top it all off, he wasn't loved anymore. Wakko didn't love him anymore. He was certain of it! And Dot, probably hated him too now.

All this was his fault. The failure doesn't get much more obvious when the action you took to try and help out your sibling's life does all this to him instead. He didn't want to not be loved by them anymore but he knew he no longer deserved their affection. He couldn't ask for it back. He'd be the lowest form of scum to have tried.

Yakko backed his way toward the door, catching a glimpse of Dot simply standing there and staring at the floor, before he rushed right out of the room. He ran down the hall just like he had that one day during Wakko's earlier hospital conception.

When he stopped running, he had realized that he was in front of the Water Tower. The empty space on the lot took hold of his plight and made him scream in frustration. He shouted out loud into the sky and pulled at his ears before sinking to his knees and planting his face into the dirt. There he just cried. It was loud and it was hard but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to help it. He deserved this anguish.

'_Wakko… doesn't love me anymore… he's hurt so badly too! What have I done? What kind of a monster am I?'_

_No. He's angry but it doesn't mean he no longer loves you._

'_R-Really? N-No… I can't hope for something like that. I don't deserve it.'_

_I know where they are._

'_Eh?'_

_I know where those three are. It's almost time for our annual meeting in that place outside of the studio._

'_Right… I forgot… the time for the next chance to pay is here…'_

_I know where they are._

'_Yes.'_

_I can go to them._

'_Yeah… I can go there… and…'_

* * *

Night fell.

The Acme labs had their lights on still as Slappy Squirrel made her way toward the front doors. Huffing in exhaustion, she burst her way through it without knocking or even alerting the resident mice that she was there. Of course, they heard the door and took it to mean that she was there anyway.

Brain sighed as he immediately hopped from one monitor to the next and pulled up a screen highlighting the insides of the Water Tower. The instant Slappy made it to the table, she had it in her sights.

"Ah. It's just what I came here for. You really are smart." Slappy patted Brain's head. The large headed mouse simply rolled his eyes.

"I'm hardly getting any sleep anymore. You should be grateful that I'm taking up two projects at once like this." Brain grumbled as he typed something out on the keyboard.

"Oh. My heart aches." Was her drained response.

Brain pointed at the picture of the Water Tower's interior. "The analysis from the probe Pinky planted on the tower-"

"You're welcome Brain!" Pinky waved from where he sat by the television.

"Uh-huh. The probe has given me a clear definition of the Water Tower's inner workings. The way the pipes are and the water that constantly rushes through it despite the absence of any maintenance is clearly disturbing. I can understand why the studio would be so hush-hush about a phenomena this strange." Brain looked up at it with intensity.

"Your conclusion?" Slappy asked.

"… Everything in it… everything about it is fit the exact same way I'd expect a fully recreational, recently built Water Tower to be. It obviously hasn't changed a single iota since it's conception over 60 years ago." Brain sighed. Confirming something like that had been a bit testing. He still couldn't believe just how strange that thing was.

"Hmph…" Slappy blinked and looked down at the side for a bit before taking out a small mug of water and setting it on the counter. "That's water I extracted from the Tower last night. I don't have much of a reason to wander around this God forsaken lot otherwise."

"You do a poor job of convincing me that you're not overly concerned for the Warner children…" Brain remark almost slapped her in the face.

Slappy cleared her throat and continued, deciding to wave the comment off. "Yeah, okay. Anywho, I left this mug outside my house. By morning, it was warm and dirty just like I expected it to be. Now, you say the water in that tower has never once been drained or replaced, am I correct?"

"Yes…" Brain hated talking about this. Every discovery made regarding this tower betrayed sound logic.

"Heh. And yet when I took the water out of it, it was as clean and clear and crisp as it probably was when the thing was first built. None of it was old and dirty and yet that one little mug I took away from it ended up changing so much in the span of a single night." Slappy's grin was wide.

"It's inconceivable. The tale was true than. The Warner Siblings and the water and probably everything within that tower doesn't wither or grow old. When you take stuff out though…" Brain stopped.

"It's the tower itself. There's no doubt. That thing… if I were to wager a guess… I'd say it was stuck in time." Slappy eyeballed the screen where the tower's insides were being put on display.

"That's absurd." Brain replied swiftly.

"I dare you to tell me why I'm an old prune and yet those guys are still as young as they are. Being locked away in that thing for so long… I'd give anything to have an extension like that. It's like a genuine time machine." Slappy began to chuckle to herself. This was just… incredible…

"60 whole years…" Brain mouthed before shaking his head and groaning. "Why now? Why is this being looked into, now of all times?"

"It's because of Yakko." Slappy's answer was shockingly quick. Brain raised a brow at her as she took out a few pieces of paper. "Plotz let me have them. Says they're Hello Nurse's reports concerning Yakko's body and his health all the times he went to the doctor."

"Because of Yakko… ? Are you talking about his sickness…?" Brain snatched the papers from her and looked them over. His eyes widened a bit at what he was reading. "These symptoms… they can't pin-point what disease he has and yet they know all this?"

"Strange isn't it?" Slappy replied with a bit of snide in her voice.

"And why just Yakko? The other two live within that tower as well. They've all been inside it for the same number of years. Does his sickness even connect to the tower itself?" Brain felt like he was developing a migraine.

Slappy blinked and slumped into the chair at the table, looking the science lab and the tables over with deeply rooted concern.

"When you leave the tower you're growing older again… Yakko's diminished fun-like personality and the developing sickness happened over time, after they were released from it after 60 years. Yakko's condition and that Tower's mysterious brilliance are connected. I'd stake my eardrums on it."

* * *

"Hahaha! Awesome! I can't believe you actually got a chance to do that when you were that young." One of the teens, while wearing a black jacket and chugging down a beer laughed as he stood arched against a fence.

"Yeah well, growing up where I did, I had to learn to adapt quickly. There, stabbing people was popular so, you know." The leader of the three smirked and played with his hair happily. The final member was chuckling to himself, imagining a five-year-old cutting off the ear of an adult and looting him for money.

"Is Yakko not here yet?" The second kid spoke up, annoyed.

"Do you see him here moron?" Chimed in the third.

"Relax. He'll show up. He'll have to. He must've put it together that it was us who did that to his little bro." The leader finished his drink and slammed the bottle onto the grass. "That said, he IS late. I guess he's just an idiot."

The other two laughed in agreement with their half-empty bottles sloshing a bit before they heard footsteps approaching. The three of them looked straight ahead at the silohette approaching them from the fore-front of the quiet and empty park.

"Geez. I know meeting in the dead of night takes away from your little baby naps but come on. Why so late? We've got a lot to discuss." The leader walked forward with the other two happily tailing him from behind.

The object of the ridicule was indeed Yakko Warner; standing there hunched forward a bit with one hand at his side. The other was slightly covered by his back.

"Did you find the present we left for ya?" The second kid smirked.

Yakko stood there, wide-eyed, not exactly looking at them. He was looking downward and his eyes flickered when the second kid opening his big gullet.

"He was all choked up about not being able to be with you for that week he was with us." The third one spoke up next.

"We did say that no harm would come to you. We didn't lie. We've always kept up our end of the bargin and now it's time you paid up. The time for extensions is over Yakko. Our boss has been really lenient with you. He liked your show." The leader's words seemed to echo a bit.

Yakko still didn't react. He didn't seem as though he was all there. The teens were getting a bit frustrated with his lack of a reaction. He was continuing to stand in that position and stare at nothing as if their words weren't getting through. Surely he knew that they were here. He came here to meet with them after all.

When Yakko continued not to answer, they grew even more annoyed.

"What the hell? Is he retarded now?" The third kid sneered.

"He probably doesn't have the money." The second kid spoke up next.

The leader blinked, his face now straight and serious.

"He probably doesn't. Oh well. It was his last chance. Seems like you and your siblings have run out of time."

Yakko glazed over eyes finally faced the three boys.

They came toward Yakko slowly.

Yakko's retaliation was that much faster.

* * *

Yakko didn't return home that night.

Dot had stayed up until four in the morning before sleep forced itself upon her. She was waiting in the Water Tower, hoping that Yakko would just come back so that they could talk whatever happened over. She wanted to, at the very least, make sure she knew the whole story behind whatever was going on.

However, he just didn't come home. Dot had to sit there by herself contemplating what was going on with a burning desire to fix whatever was going wrong. She had tried to talk to Wakko after Yakko left about how he's been getting so much worse lately.

Wakko didn't say much in response though. He faced away from her and insisted that he didn't want to hear it. She honestly had hoped he meant that he didn't want to be told the truth regarding Yakko's health and state of mind. She hated how she wasn't sure whether or not Wakko actually cared about him anymore.

She had even tried to defend Yakko's actions before stopping herself and realizing that even she couldn't forgive it. Did that make her a bad person?

She just needed to be sure of herself. When she left the hospital and told Wakko that she'd be sure to visit again the next day she noticed how quickly Wakko went back to sleep. His body was exhausted and it was such a hassle to maintain stability within his system. That week with virtually no food, little water, tons of bodily harm, and a lack of care for his hypoglycemia had left him in such a devastated state.

At least his hat was back on his head. She liked seeing the hat on his head. It made her realize that Wakko truly was back and alive.

He was far from being okay though. Yakko was nowhere near being fine himself. She even wished that she could probably get him checked out too. The bloody coughs and the way he's been acting is just way too scary. She wanted to just let all her concerns out when he came home.

However, she went to sleep without seeing him.

When she woke up though, she heard sounds from the television. She hadn't touched the T.V at all since coming home.

Dot made her way into the living room and spotted him. Yakko was there; lying on the couch on his side, staring at the fuzzy screen with the low volume emanating from it.

She felt uncomfortable. Instantly.

"Y-Yakko…?" Dot walked around to the front of the couch and shook his body a bit. Yakko's eyes were wide and frantic. He sprung straight up when Dot touched him which made her fall back in surprise.

"Oh… D-Dot… Dot… S-Sorry…" Yakko looked so flustered. His eyes were a bit glazed and he didn't look like he had slept a single wink.

Dot stood up and looked him over. He looked so much worse than he did yesterday. Each day that goes by, Yakko just looked worse and worse. He was so young. Why did he look so frail and weak? Why was he even sick?

"It's alright… what were you watching?" Dot asked, hoping to start a relatively simple conversation before she bombarded him with questions.

"… The news… " Yakko fidgeted as he looked at the T.V. "I… It's talking about something that happened last night..."

"Huh?" Dot looked slightly interested.

"… Three teenagers were found dead in the park… apparently some one murdered them… with an axe…" Yakko's wide open eyes twitched slightly as he took a soft seat on the couch. His inflections were odd and his voice was a bit cracked.

Dot just kept analyzing his inflections and movements. They were so intriguing to her. Not in a good way though.

"Where were you last night anyway?" Dot asked him. Her fear regarding hearing that news took an instant backseat to her concern for Yakko. "If something that dangerous happened last night than you could've been wrapped up in something horrible and gotten hurt."

"I don't exactly remember… I left the hospital for the Water Tower… and then went looking for something for a long time… I don't remember what…" Yakko's talking was shaky and quiet.

The three teens that were identified on the news were the same ones he had grown accustomed to meeting for his issues with debt. He felt like breaking down and wailing in contempt.

He didn't understand why this news was making him feel so giddy.


	7. The Worth of a Sib

_Here it comes. The dense atmosphere gets that much more noticeable._

* * *

**_Chapter 7: The Worth of a Sib_**

He couldn't believe it. A murder! No, _three_ murders! So close to the studio too! How unprecedented! This couldn't have happened at a worse time.

The studio wasn't exactly in the best shape it's been now that _Animaniacs!_ was over. It would've been smooth sailing onto the next project had this nonsense not happened. The situation with the late payments with the Warners was the least of his worries now. The publicity the lot was getting wasn't the kind they wanted.

As of now, Thaddeus Plotz was pulling at his hair and mulling over how awful this situation was. One look out the window and he could see investigators and police detectives scouting the area. They had nothing to hide so why couldn't those guys just take a hike?!

All the people who were present on the lot were forced to stay. Plotz recounted the people in his confused and jumbled head. Rita and Runt had stayed behind and decided to put their journey to the big leagues of Broadway on the back-burner to help Yakko and Dot find Wakko. To do something so drastic and risky to their careers for the sake of three brats was astounding. He doubted he'd be able to stomach the fear of losing such an opportunity.

Pinky and the Brain lived at the Acme Labs. They weren't going anywhere. Not just that but their show had been a huge success as well. What came next for them wasn't to be acted upon right now though. There was too much of a ruckus to take the new spin-off into account.

The Goodfeathers were still around because they had never gotten their paychecks. He was about ready to fix them for those birds when he screwed up the amount the first three times before this fiasco happened.

Mindy and Buttons came to pick up the girl's mother's miniscule paycheck. That just baffled Plotz. That woman was hardly ever on set. As of now, the two of them were being questioned on the floor below.

Slappy and Skippy… were investigating the Water Tower. It was under his permission too. He had nothing more to say about it.

Dr. Scratchnsniff, Ralph, and Hello Nurse all worked on the lot. They couldn't have gone anywhere either.

"Whether coincidence or by some odd brand of fate… all the main characters from that show are STUCK here…" Plotz tapped his fingers on the desk. What good was it to know that? Maybe he was just looking for more things to freak him out.

After all, all this excitement was making him feel reluctantly younger and more outgoing. It felt kind of good but he still wasn't sure whether that was truly a good thing or not.

* * *

The police were starting to annoy Dot. She realized this was standard procedure but how ridiculous was this? Being questioned by them when the murders didn't even happen on the lot was stupid. Granted the park was extremely close to the studio and this was the closest place to find people entering it but…

Dot grumbled. She couldn't really fault their logic. It was just that it was just her and Yakko here and she didn't want to be the one handling this anymore. Yakko had just gotten that much worse.

After being denied forgiveness by Wakko and forced to being saddled with the guilt of knowing it happened because of him, he comes to find out that the three jerks he owed money and probably wanted dead, actually died.

Her poor big brother…

Looking at him now, he seemed like an empty shell. It looked like Yakko for the most part. If you ignore the unkempt fur and the tired eyes he _looked_ like Yakko at least. However, on the inside, so much had changed. He was so different now and it was quite possibly the worst way he could've turned out after the show's end.

"We thank you for your patience Ms. Warner." The officer was being formal with her. It sounded weird to her. She was a little kid being referred to as "Ms. Warner". What's the deal with that?

"Um… y-you're welcome. I just really want to be alone now so I can take care of my brother." She admitted to them. The questioning session consisted of the expected. Where were they when it happened? Who do you think could've done it? Did we know the victims?

The answer to the final question made them stay longer, which bothered Dot immensely. Dot had no choice but to reveal that Yakko had owed them money but she didn't go any deeper than that. She answered for Yakko when his turn for questioning came. Thing was, he hadn't spoken a single word since that news report ended.

The officers were a tad confused and frustrated by Yakko's behavior but Dot assured them that he was going through a bit of a handicapped episode right now. It took a while but they eventually accepted that and finally left the two of them alone.

Dot turned to Yakko. He was still sitting there on the couch in that same scary position he had suddenly curled up into before. He was hugging his knees to his chest and looking out ahead at nothing. That look of fear was etched on his face and it wouldn't come off.

She walked to his side and sat down next to him, putting on her best smile. She grabbed his hand gently, noticing how he jumped when she made contact with him.

"I'm here Yakko. I'll always be on your side. So will Wakko. He may be angry now but he can never stop loving you. I know it." Dot's voice was soft.

Yakko just kept looking out ahead. She figured he must've felt so pathetic. He was the older brother. The oldest of the three Warners was the title he had always held from the very beginning. He was responsible and the one who felt the need to make both her and Wakko feel better when they were down. Now it was reversed in the most devastating way possible.

Yakko just had so many things wrong with him. She knew his mind wasn't well. She knew his sadness had reached a peak. She knew that his fear was almost incomprehensible.

Dot looked at his face as it didn't react to her.

"You know that I would never lie to you about that right?" She spoke, a smile ever present on her face.

Yakko shook a bit. She saw tears spill from his eyes. She was happy she was being given a reaction… but this wasn't the one she wanted. Can't Yakko smile, even a little bit, anymore? Even a fake one would be nice...

She was surprised when she was graced with the gift of speech from the still Warner.

"I don't feel like the same person anymore. You sure you're saying all this to the right guy?" Yakko spoke, his voice cracked and tired.

"I'm positive I am. You're still Yakko, no matter how much you change. Wakko and I are your Warner brother and Warner sister. We'll always love and care for you. "Dot snuggled closer to Yakko with her head next to his. His body felt really cold.

'_Always…?'_

_So that means they'll help me when I kill again._

'_Me? Kill? … again?'_

_Sound like fun?_

'_No! I… what…? Kill…I... killed them…?'_

* * *

Wakko knew what this meant. The way they kept questioning him about his brother's behavior and the way everything kept leading back to what he had last seen Yakko doing…

It was clear that they had Yakko in their sights as the prime suspect for the murders he had heard about from the hospital T.V.

It was so surreal. He was tortured. He was strung up on a wall and strapped to a table in a cold, dank cellar because of those three. He was prodded with sticks and stabbed with knives. He was hit was mallets and forced to vomit for their amusement. He was told over and over that they'd keep him forever if they felt like it and he had almost given up hope on ever escaping. He had been thoroughly tortured and been left with wanting to see them…

He hated admitting this… it made him feel sick…

… He wanted them dead. He really did.

And then they died. They were killed. Heads were cut right off and their bodies were hacked through like butter…

This made him feel even worse. He couldn't get over how terrible he felt and how conflicting his emotions regarding this were. They were actually dead. Was he happy about that? Would any decent person be happy that three teenagers were brutally murdered even if they had tortured him so?

These police were just making it even more unbearable now. They were hitting him with these questions that almost, outright accused his older brother of being a murderer. Who did these idiots think they were? Yakko may be the oldest but he's still a kid! He knew Yakko! He may have changed a whole lot but Yakko would never do anything like that.

He was angry at him for getting him into this mess. He was still mad that it was his fault for his coma and hospitalization. However, he couldn't deny it. He still loved his brother, no matter how hard he was trying to convince himself that he couldn't anymore.

"Did he say anything about where he was going when he had heard that you were attacked by them?" This detective spoke. Hello Nurse looked annoyed even. Subtlety was not this guy's strong suit.

"No! He didn't. I told him to leave and he left." Wakko said, turning away from them. He didn't want to answer any more questions. They had obviously gathered enough clues at this point that had pinned the Warners as connected to those guys. They were indeed connected to them. That didn't change the fact that they were just kids and that they didn't typically engage in freaking axe-murder!

"Why did you tell him to leave? Did you tell your sister to go as well?" He asked.

"No. Just him…" Wakko grumbled out.

"Why? Did you two have a fight?" He just kept prodding him.

"Why would you need to know that?! You're just teasing me now! Go away!" Wakko screamed, coughing a bit as his hoarse voice almost gave out. Hello Nurse ran to his side and patted the side of his body.

"I've went with this for as long as I can allow. Please leave. The patient can't be allowed to get too stressed out." Hello Nurse made herself rather clear. The detective didn't look like he wanted to turn away even for a second. However, he felt as though he had no choice but to comply and decided to walk out.

"Stupid police…" Wakko muttered under his breath. "Officer or criminal… I hate them both…"

* * *

Ralph stood by the door as the detectives interviewing Mindy and Buttons were given new information from the others who had gone out to visit the people they figured were primarily connected to the situation. Truth be told, after the incident happened, it hadn't taken long at all for their investigation to lead straight toward the Warners. The situation with Wakko's hospitalization was one of the things that helped clinch their obvious involvement among other things.

"… It seems our session will have to be extended." The one detective sitting in front of the child and her dog spoke as he was given the notes the other detectives took. One was from the visit to the Water Tower and the other was from Wakko at the hospital. All the others were interesting but those two stuck out the most just from how well connected they were.

So far, what they had was that these three teenagers were connected to Yakko mainly. Wakko had refused to answer a lot of the questions willingly but they had been able to piece together that those three teens were the ones who had kidnapped him from the combined info the Warners had actually decided to supply them with. They were still kids so it was understandable how they felt the need to stretch the truth a bit. It was their job to see past that though.

Now this guy had been told that Wakko had told Yakko to leave his room but not Dot, which meant that he was mad only at his older brother. All of this was leading more toward Yakko for some reason. They had no idea why or how but they knew he was their best bet to getting anywhere with this investigation. His unfortunate "handicapped mentality" as her little sister put it wasn't going to keep them from figuring this out.

"Now Mindy and Buttons; you two were the ones who discovered Wakko's body in the dumpster that day. Do you have any idea as to who it could've been?" The detective asked them both, as if expecting a coherent answer.

Buttons eyed the man a bit. He didn't like this person. He had decided that from the get go. However, refusing to comply wasn't an option right now. He shook his head as if to answer "No". Mindy did the same.

The interview continued in the form of "Yes and No" possible answers.

They were getting somewhere. That was certain.

* * *

Why was it that the world felt so quiet or and scary, all around you, after you've entered a state of prolonged fear and anxiety? When someone goes about their normal, happy-go-lucky day it can sometimes be filled with good times and bad times. Than there were those times where something would scare you or shock you to your very core. The song that was unknowingly playing in your mind would turn off and you senses were suddenly a lot sharper.

It was easier to hear the crickets chirping outside in the dead of night. It was easier to notice how tense the atmosphere usually got at night to the point where dropping a pin seemed to spell doom for fear of the sound it would make when it hit the floor. Everything is on edge and your heart beats faster. It's almost literally the only thing you can pay attention to until an unexpected and much louder sound scares you out of your funk for a few seconds. It takes so much longer just to dive back into that euphoric state of unease you were in too. You suddenly desire that state of unease afterward, as it's much more desirable than a constant state of panic.

As of now, Yakko was shifting constantly between both those stages. There was a lingering feeling of fright and terror about his room, his bed, this tower, his life, and his mind that made him sit up with the covers barely over him, just staring straight out at the wall in front of him.

That feeling wasn't going away. It was only growing and getting worse. He started to wonder if his heart beat would ever stop being so damn noticeable. It was driving him insane…

It was so quiet. He was just sitting there, alone in his room, trapped within the confines of his mind and what had just happened. It was sinking in ever deeper that those three kids he had just spoken to… some short time ago… he couldn't remember when…

Those kids were dead.

Yakko rubbed his palms over his face.

It was making him feel so sick and vulnerable thinking about this.

A bloody axe... Did the news say it was an axe? The news said it was, most likely, but he had told Dot that it definitely was. How'd he know that though?

How could he have…? Why was this bothering him so much…? Sure it was murder, and a rather gruesome, horrible one at that but to fret so much over it not in just fear but with… noticeable excitement…

"Hello Yakko. Drink up. I come baring Hot Chocolate." Dot's sing-song voice came into the room. Yakko flinched rather hard when she entered. It was an incredibly odd and paranoid looking flinch as well. It made Dot instantly feel bad for Yakko and it showed when the sudden frown came to her face.

She set the tray onto the table next to his bed and climbed in to give him a hug.

Yakko was taken aback by the sudden display of affection. He blinked with his mouth still a bit open from his constant mumbling to himself of nonsense words before she entered and managed to summon enough courage to hug her back.

His embrace ended early but hers continued on for a few good minutes before she sighed and let go.

"Yakko. I made this for you. Please drink up." Dot spoke softly. She was trying to sound as comforting as she could. Yakko had to admit that among a sea of surrounding darkness from the night sky outside the window and the absence of any sound outside of his heartbeat… just seeing her sit next to him and trying her best to be that warm radiance in his life was grand.

It only lasted a second though. Yakko didn't even have time to smile or to say something back before he felt himself slump further down. His pupils were shaking. Dot recognized that as a sign that he was about to cry.

"Yakko. Please. Enough crying. We can get through all this. When has a Warner been one to give up huh?" Dot spoke as if choking back tears of her own. She absolutely had to remain the strong one. There was no other choice.

"I… I think…" Yakko finally spoke. Just like a few times earlier today, his voice was cracked and a bit hoarse.

"Y-You think what? Go ahead. Tell me." Dot forced a smile and put her hand on her brother's cheek. She could feel how cold his body was and just how much he was fidgeting and shaking. It was terrible.

Then his next sentence came.

"… I think… that I might've killed them…"

Dot's eyes stayed open. They were glued to Yakko's features now.

"… I really think… I might've killed those three guys. I-I don't remember doing it but I can't get the idea out of my head!" Yakko's speech was growing faster and more crazed. He was terrified of his words and of himself. But what could he do about that? He _was _himself. He was living with a murderer and it was him. He couldn't get away from himself. He couldn't remember but he felt the emotions after the deed was done. A part of him was scared. The other part was happy.

"I felt happy. I still do. I know I do! I murdered them! Killed them with an axe in cold blood and I'm happy! I'm insane! Help me! No! Stay away! I don't wanna kill you! Go away NOW!" Yakko's was yelling and screaming now, which knocked Dot out of her deep state of frozen shock and awe.

He felt his shoulders get grabbed by her and she looked him dead in the eyes. Yakko didn't last long at all just looking back at her. He was letting the tears roll down his face now.

"… Yakko… Do you…" Dot spoke, her mind feeling oddly blank. "… Do you really think it was you? Are you a hundred percent certain? This isn't just a horrifying mental stress related reaction on your part…?"

Dot's words and her mannerisms… They made it clear to Yakko that she had considered this. Not long after her talk with Yakko earlier, a scary thought struck her head. It was one that she never before would've dreamed could have been true. She had decided to ignore her inquiry for the sake of being in denial. After the news report and after putting two and two together regarding how Yakko's absence mingled with the time of their deaths. That coupled with how they were related to his situation and how they had recently done something unspeakably bad to Wakko…

Thinking about it now... it was probably a given. It was almost glaringly obvious even but… it was still Yakko. That fact alone made her tell herself that it was okay to ignore all the warning signs and treat it like it was just an average, off-the-cuff homicide enacted by some unrelated lunatic.

However, here she was, face to face with an increasingly shaking and crying Yakko. He had just confirmed her ridiculous sudden idea … but… there was hope in how he said he couldn't remember… maybe something odd happened with his mind where he… blacked out that night and thought hard about wanting to kill them and did so in a nightmare he had… a-and then it got to him that much worse when the news came the very next day that they were dead…

It had to be that ridiculously implausible scenario. There's no way Yakko would blank out in pure rage and resort to murder like a legitimate psychopath.

"There's no way you could've-" Dot started but was halted by Yakko.

"I did."

Those last two words. The speech it came with was so sad and so sure of itself. Dot felt her hands clench tightly on her older brother's shoulders. Her head loomed down and she felt her body writhe and twitch with a swell of panicked emotions.

"You couldn't have! There's… There's no way MY older brother would -"

"Let go of me…"

"Huh?"

"I SAID LET GO OF ME!" Yakko's sudden shout was followed by a smack across Dot's face that sent her reeling off the side of the bed and onto the floor. She stared up at her brother with a hurt and terrified expression.

"… Y… Yakko…?" She mouthed as she watched him reel and fidget on the bed in anger. He was clutching his skull as if trying to hang on to his sanity for dear life.

'_It's out in the open now! She knows!'_

_It's your own fault. _

'_What do I do?'_

_Kill her._

'_Wh-What? N-No… I can't… Dot is my… I love her…'_

_That reaction of hers was clearly a sign of rejection and disbelief on her part. She's entered a state of unforgiveness, just like Wakko. _

'_Th-That may be true… b-but…'_

_It IS true. I said once before that Wakko saying he hated you now doesn't mean he doesn't love you anymore. However, it should've only been something you held on to for the time when he would come around and accept that you are who you are now._

'_A-And if they can't accept that… than… they aren't worth…'_

_Living._

'_So my sibs aren't worth...'_

_They are not._

_'So kill her.'_

_Kill her._

_Kill her._

Dot began to back away as Yakko fell over the edge of the bed and hit the floor with a thud that seemed to ignore the fact that he had dropped on his head. He scampered up and stood on his wobbly feet, with vacant and somehow focused eyes.

"… Yakko… you're… you're scaring-"

He lunged at her and wrapped his hands around her neck. Dot gasped and started to panic, prying at his arms in desperation. She choked out words through a hacked cough.

"Y-Yakk-… Yakko… P-Please stop!" Dot started to cry as she was pushed back. Her older brother… what was he doing? Was this an attempt to kill her?

"… D-Dot…" Yakko spoke through gritted teeth.

"… P-please… d-d… don'…. kill me…" She couldn't believe this. She was actually begging Yakko not to kill her of all things? What was going on?

Yakko's face contorted from that of a vacant expression back to one of pain and sorrow. He instantly released Dot from his grasp and watched as her head fell back to the floor. She coughed and gagged as she held her neck, trying to suck back in the air she had lost.

She opened her eyes and spotted Yakko. Instead of worry and fear for his well-being, she was overcome with terror. All the concern she had for him had instantly evaporated into a pure sensual alert that told her that she was in the presence of a murderer and that she needed to get away. However, her more composed side was fighting to come back and reassure her that he was still Yakko and that he just needed to be calmed down. That side was being easily subdued though. The fact of that matter was that he had just tried to choke her to death! She had spoken Yakko's name in a way that had to plead for him _not _to kill her!

Yakko's face was still wearing that pained expression. It melted into something similar to the terrified expression Dot was currently wearing. He had regained his composure but lost it again in a different way when he panicked.

"DOT! I-I'm so sorry! I'm so SO sorry! A-Are you okay?" Yakko shouted down at her while shaking her shoulder's a bit. Dot tensed up, not sure how to respond. "P-Please… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

'_Yes you did.'_

"I-I did?! I really did! I'm crazy! I tried to- N-no…! I can't… n-no, she'll tell a-and then people will find out and then everything will be ruined for us!" Yakko clutched her shoulders a bit tighter while staring straight into her still crying face. Yakko's face was dribbling down tears as well, though his mind was in an intense reel of panic and shock.

"You… You can't tell anybody about this! Not that I killed those guys or tried to kill you! I won't do it again! I promise! S-so promise me!" Yakko shouted. Dot whimpered.

'_Kill her.'_

"No! I love her!" Yakko screamed, confusing and affectively scaring Dot even more. She had no idea who he was talking to with that statement. He suddenly began speaking back to her. "I love you. I do. You know that right?" Yakko forced a smile on his scary, tear ridden face.

Dot nodded slowly, almost feeling as though she absolutely had to or else…

"G-Good… th-than promise me… This doesn't leave this room! Understand?!" Yakko raised his voice but was still smiling at her. She nodded faster than before. Whatever it took to please him right now was what she wanted to do. She just wanted him to let go.

He finally did and she plopped back onto the floor. Without a word of concern or a question for his actions, she bolted up and made her way to the door. When she reached it she looked at him as he sat on his knees in that same spot.

Before Yakko could turn all the way around to face her, she shut the door and made her way out of the tower…

* * *

Dot panted hard as she kept her back to the door of the tower. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to descend the latter and go off in search of help. It had to have been the impression that Yakko had just made into her…

She felt her chest heaves slow a tiny bit but they couldn't stop. She was sweating and panting so hard. It was terrible. This feeling was of terror. Behind this door she had her back to and inside her own home was an insane… murderer.

N-No… it was her older brother…! It was Yakko!

"Wh-Who do I tell…? N-No… I can't tell, h-he's right. If this were found out he'd be arrested or put into a mental home a-and I'd never see him again…" Dot's thoughts were spastic and disgruntled. "B-But he's finally lost his mind now. H-He'll kill me if I stay with him too long. If I don't tell anyone, it'll just get worse… and Wakko will be put into danger when he comes back… b-but Yakko…"Dot started to fidget and cry.

She fell to her knees and started bawling out into the night sky.

Yakko was her brother too. She couldn't help but be worried for his future even if he was dangerous now! What should she do then? She didn't know. She was the youngest and most vulnerable. She had been so scared! She was choked! Yakko had tried to_ kill_ her!

Dot curled up into a scared little ball on the ground and cried even harder, not caring about how her loud echoes of fear and sadness boomed across the sky. She had a right to pour all this out of her system after the horror scene she had been at the center of.

She didn't want to die. She wanted it even less to be at the hands of Yakko, the older brother that both she and Wakko looked up to so immensely.

It was impossible. She simply couldn't handle this alone. She ran to the ladder and slid down to the bottom. She needed to talk to someone. Anyone! She'd make them promise not to tell when it got to that but right now, the only thing on her mind was finding someone, anyone she knew and could trust with her feelings and words!

She was running away from the Water Tower currently and leaving it's cold atmosphere behind. It housed an insane person now. It was her older brother, Yakko Warner…

* * *

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Yakko slammed a lamp against the wall, making it smash into several large pieces. The room went dark instantly, but flickers from the broken bulb kept him from being unable to see. "Wh-Why?! Why did I-?"

_It's something that needed to be done. Do not fret._

_'I TRIED TO KILL MY LITTLE SISTER!'_

_And wasn't it fun? Have you ever felt a rush like that before?_

_'Screw this! Stop it! Shut up!'_

_You're telling yourself to shut up and yet you're still talking._

_'Go away! Leave! I don't want this to happen anymore! Three people are dead because of me! I almost added my little sister sib to that list!'_

_Maybe she doesn't have to die now._

_'H-Huh?'_

_Just keep her alive and around for the sake of seeing if she'll go with the way I am now._

_'A murderer…'_

_Who enjoys ignoring the rules of life and doing what he pleases._

_'… I-If me and my sibs … were all with this together… th-than maybe my fear and hate for it will go away… I-I could be happy again…'_

_You can be happy without them. If they refuse, they die._

_'I-I could? Could I really?'_

Yakko backed against the wall of the room and slid to the floor. The atmosphere around him was darker than ever and the image of Dot's scared, tear streaming, drooling, and choking body lingered in his head.

A flash of her dead body crossed his mind. It made him laugh.

He slapped himself rather hard, leaving a red mark across his cheek.

"… Which thoughts are mine? Which ones belong to me…?"

The silence that hit him after he asked that question aloud made him whimper and curl up like the kid he was.

"… I can't… I can't figure it out… s-somebody help me… please…"

Silence. No one was there.

Yakko's whimper turned into a sob. He was crying.

"… Please… I... I'm so scared..."

No answer.

"… Don't leave me alone… with my thoughts... I don't wanna…"

* * *

It was no use.

As creepy as this black and white news report was to Skippy, he couldn't make heads or tails of what was happening here.

Aunt Slappy had found an old recorded video tape of the fiasco that plagued the studio oh so long ago. There was one back at the house but Plotz had a copy of it too. Since none of them were allowed to leave the lot until the investigation was over they had to make due with sleeping in one of the heavily equipped garages on the lot.

When he had first heard about that incident where all the people in suits went crazy and tried lopping each other's heads off, he'd been rocked to his very core. All the while he had been doing things for Animaniacs, he had never seen this as anything more than a rather dubious fun-time that earned him quite the amount of checks to save up for his plans for the future. It all seemed so innocent.

"… But that Water Tower…" Skippy pressed stop and replayed it over again. "That creepy… thing… Is it really alright to just let them stay inside it… I mean... I guess they've got nowhere else to be but-"

A thunderous banging on the front door made him jolt up and smack against the ceiling. He was a bit on edge. It being night time didn't help.

When he landed back on the couch his eyes were rolling but he managed to stumble up and wobble over toward the door despite the cuckoos. "C-Coming…ugh…" He groaned and managed to open the front door. He'd have asked for Slappy to do it but she was asleep. She said something about being tired after stealing all the appliances she needed from "that cheapskate" to make sure this place looked like her living room…

He supposed it was enough, considering she was sleeping in a comfy looking chair in the corner without a care in the world. Good thing for her, because as soon as Skippy opened the door he knew he'd be anything but comfy by the way the youngest of the Warners flung her arms around him and made him stumble all the way back in, surprised.

She wasn't saying anything. She was just crying hard into him and it made the confused squirrel fall back onto his bottom in a bit of a sudden daze. She was screaming and blubbering and hiccupping and Skippy didn't know what to make of it.

"Y-Yakko! Choking and… scary! I can't… Please… help… somebody… J-just don't… " She was screaming at him and trying to get out her full thoughts and feelings at him. She loved Yakko and didn't want anything bad to happen to him but he was insane now. He was terrifying and she didn't want to be anywhere near him right now. How do you still love someone like that? Why would she not want to see someone take him away? It was because he was still her older brother. However, at the same time, he wasn't. Something had happened inside his head to make him this way. Was it his fault? Does the collapse of one's mind rest blame on the person who it happened to?

Does she blame Yakko for losing himself? Does she blame the mental condition? Does she blame the world? What actions should she take? What happens next? If they take him away will he be gone forever? Would that be for the best? Would it benefit her and Wakko's safety and peace of mind?

"How should I KNOW!" Dot yelled grabbing at her head and curling up on the ground, with tears puddling the floor rather excessively. All those questions; every single one of them, had caused a huge pang of anger, fear, and pain to strike. If there was some sort of clear path ahead that told her what truly was going on and what was the right way to react and treat it, then maybe things would be a bit calmer…

She'd still be saddled with the fact that her brother had lost it but perhaps her mind would've been a bit clear… and could focus on the overwhelming sadness of the situation instead…

Even contemplating herself actually knowing what was happening and what to do didn't lead her into a comfortable direction. How could one exist now that this had happened?

Skippy was shaking and a bit scared himself by now. He had no idea what this was about and her rambling wasn't making his senses any clearer. In the corner Slappy had bumbled awake from her rather deep slumber and was eyeballing the scene in front of her, not sure what to make of it.

"You two got somethin' you wanna tell me?" Slappy grumbled out.

Skippy wasn't too worried about whether or not Dot would repel him, so he decided it'd be comfort enough to hold her close. She seemed to actually want that and had no problems crying into his body.

"She definitely has something to say at least." Skippy faced his aunt. "Although, I don't know if she's ready to do much talking right now…"

Slappy glanced at her just once. The wailing she was doing was hard and there was a tiny bruise forming around her neck area.

"… No, I suppose she wouldn't be …"

* * *

"And what're we gonna say when we get there? Sorry we didn't kick your butt outta the tavern when you came in under your own accord?" Pesto snarled as the three Goodfeathers flapped their way toward the Water Tower.

"Hey. Don't worry about it alright. We're stuck here anyway, might as well get everything peaking at out our consciousness outta the way." Bobby remarked with a sneer. It'd be a treat seeing Pesto try and apologize.

"Consciousness? I ain't got nothing on my noggin. I did nothing wrong. You encouraged the kid to have a drink." Pesto responded, almost smacking his cheek against Bobby's as he stared at his companion with maddening intensity.

"Details." Bobby sputtered out before he noticed that Squit had stopped. "Hey, what're you doin'?"

"Yakko's down there." Squit pointed out. The other two zipped right beside Squit and looked below, spotting the oldest Warner trudging across the asphalt and making his way from the tower.

"What's he doing?" Pesto inquired, not sure if he liked seeing this kid out so late at night.

"Only one way to find out." Squit chimed in. They dived back and flew straight down in front of Yakko in a flash. The Warner stopped in his tracks, taking in their familiar figures without shifting his rather stoic and straight-forward gaze.

"What's the hubbub? You on a late night pleasure walk?" Bobby asked.

"The detectives still aren't too keen on letting people wander around. They get rather over the top with their procedures when it comes to murders where toons are suspected to be involved." Squit explained.

Yakko looked them over with his glazed eyes and swatted the one clear in his way to the side before walking on. That happened to be Bobby.

"Whoa! Geez. What's eatin' his cheese?" Bobby grumbled out and noticed Yakko disappear behind a building.

"And you wanted to apologize. Feh." Pesto flew off, not wanting to dwell on this person any longer. The other two birds looked toward Yakko's general direction before deciding to take off as well. Whatever that horrible feeling in the pits of their stomachs were, it wasn't something they wanted to investigate.

Yakko walked on, stopping by the dumpster behind the building he walked around, and dragged out an axe. It was stained red on the blade and just holding it made Yakko shiver with delight.

_'It's just one quick check… no need to worry…'_

_What's one more murder? What's stopping you from taking Plotz' head?_

_'Just a check up… I'll just observe him…'_

_With an axe? I know what you really want to do._

_'Hehehe. M-Maybe I do. Y-yeah. I can try… it sounds like so much fun…'_

* * *

"I'm so bored…" Plotz grumbled. Well, maybe 'bored' wasn't the right word since he actually did have plenty he needed to get done but the urge to finish it all just wasn't coming to him.

He knew full well about the secrets and the mystery behind that Water Tower. He didn't know what that thing's deal really was of course. No one did. However, he had extensive knowledge about what had happened all those years ago on the studio lot concerning that thing's terrifying presence. Just being able to see it in the distance from his office filled him with dread.

He loved the view. He loved his office. It'd be so nice not to have to look outside and feel that twinge of uneasiness whenever his gaze shifted toward the tower. It even made the Warners themselves more terrifying in his eyes. They lived in that thing and yet they were always so happy and spastic and in-your-face with how great they treated their lives.

Their lives were like one endless party before and during the show's run. Than when it ended, that's when they changed. That's when this mess started. The process was short but it was building up over time. Those two former employees on the news were murdered by decapitation; they bit it the same way those corrupted by that insanity spell that plagued the lot all those years ago had. A now, three more people; teenagers who were just hanging by the lot had bit it the same exact way.

Whoever was being influenced to kill like this, he knew it was connected to whatever happened all those years ago. But no-one knew just what DID happen or why! 60 years later and not a single answer had come.

"I don't get it. Hypnosis? Swamp gas? What could've possibly happened to make all those people go crazy. And why… WHY is it happening again… ?" Plotz flipped through his notes and old black and white pictures of goings on from over the years. "It's almost as if someone's been toying with me. Willing all this to happen whenever he or she saw fit… If this is happening again now it can't be something spontainous and off the cuff. There's got to be some kind of_ reason_…!"

He stopped at an old picture of the Water Tower, after it's initial creation.

"… I'll get to the bottom of this. I swear by all that is-"

**THWACK!**

Plotz let out a yelp and fell off his seat. He just as quickly jumped back up and saw something truly horror ridden.

The blade of an axe had just been slammed through the front of his door. It was cutting down the very front and chipping off chunks of wood, sending them spiraling across the floor.

Plotz stayed where he was, frozen behind his desk, and starring at the dry blood on the edge of the weapon as it violently speared through the door some more. He stayed like that for a little too long before the sound of the next chop electrified his insides and sent him into panic mode. The CEO scampered toward his phone and picked it up with his now shaky and sweaty hands.

All that stuff he was thinking before. It was gone. The only thing running through his mind were pleads of mercy and survival instinct. He dialed the number on the phone and watched as the door was burst open with a rather extensive hole leading into his office. He slammed the phone down, knowing that anyone he called wouldn't make it in time. He rushed toward the window with his very own mallet, in an attempt to smash it open and jump. Anything! Anything at all to get away! There was no way he wanted to die here!

Just about when he was ready and willing to smash it open and make the jump, the hacking and slashing had stopped. Plotz' heart leapt to his throat and he immediately took that to mean that whoever was invading was currently inside.

At least he figured that'd be the logical conclusion. But when he turned around, no one was there. He blinked and stared at the room's interior. The front door was demolished and outside the hole was… a black void. He couldn't see outside it.

Plotz shakingly tip-toed toward the door and fiddled with the knob before he gulped and stopped himself. With a small in-take of breath he flung the door open and readied his mallet.

Than he just stood there with his mallet raised and watched as the door bounced harmlessly off the opposite wall. It made a small creaking sound as it shifted to a slow stop.

The hallway was empty.

"… … " Plotz lowered the mallet and collapsed onto the floor. Almost immediately afterward, his cellphone went off which made him jolt. He would've had a heart attack if it wasn't for his unusual knack for quick composure. He answered the phone, noticeably shaky to the point where it was impossible keeping it all the way to his ear without fear of dropping it.

"Daaah, youse called sir?" Ralph was on the other end.

He did complete the phone dial, didn't he?

"Uh… y-yes… I did… um… Ralph…" Plotz began.

"Hmm?" Ralph's simpleton like tone was suddenly a blessing to his ears.

"Send… erm… just get up here. Take as many people we're supposed to consider important up with you." Plotz was having trouble articulating his words. "We have a situation and… I'm not feeling so well…"

"You sick sir?" Ralph asked.

"No… I'm just… not up to being alone right now…"


	8. Devastation

_Reality comes to smack you down hard._

_**Chapter 8: Devastation**_

"So, you've got the whole act down right?" Rita asked Runt as they walked along the gravel road along the lot.

"Yup! Definitely. J-Just…uh… stay behind the curtain and pull the rope. Easy." Runt recited, looking awfully proud.

"Now there's a sentiment. Hope it's a reliable one." Rita sighed but couldn't help but smile. He was always a doer. He never quit no matter how against him his own brain was. Though, in reality, he really wasn't as dumb as people tended to make him out to be.

The conversation concerning their act for when they finally got off the lot was cut short by what they saw stumbling toward them ahead. They were used to being the only ones out at night but the occasional guest was to be expected. It just struck her as a more worrisome guest this time around.

"Yakko?" Rita mouthed as she saw the Warner in question wobble and bob toward the two of them. They stood in place, wondering what exactly his movements and intentions were. It became clear that he wasn't really acting on any sort of motive when he nearly collapsed into them. Rita quickly used her paws to push him back up and keep him steady.

Runt looked him over and was the one to voice her own concerns. "You don't look too well Yakko. Feeling sick?"

One look at him and Rita could tell that this was it exactly. But what was he doing out here, alone at night?

"H-Heya guys… you get the number of that steamroller that crushed my head a while back? I gots to send that guy an angry letter…" Yakko joked with a slurred and tired voice.

"Yakko. Now's not the time for that." Rita spoke, not even sure exactly how weird it was that the depressed and disturbed Warner sibling would even try cracking a joke at this point in time. "Why are you out here alone? Is Dot back at the tower?"

Yakko twitched and shivered a bit when he heard Dot's name. "Oh yeah… the girl I live with. That other younger one. Who cares? I dunno. She doesn't know. She hates me now. Why shouldn't she. ..?" Yakko's voice was even more slow and dragging than it was just a second ago. His eyes were a tad red and there was a noticeable droop to his eyelids that told her he was struggling to stay awake.

"Sh-She hates you now? Why would she-?" Rita began before Yakko swatted her arms back.

"I can hold myself up misses kitty! I don't need no one's help!" Yakko shouted in spontaneous anger before grabbing his head and falling to his knees.

"Look, I don't know what's up with you anymore but if there was ever a more obvious case where you were in need of help, this would be it." Rita said, rubbing her arm for a quick second before standing by his side.

Yakko himself was talking like a drunk again. Only this time it seemed to be because he was trying to keep himself awake and aware. He was half-way between holding onto himself and losing himself. Rita had guessed that his sanity wasn't really all that in check a while ago and the more time passed the more her suspicions seemed accurate.

"Dot may not wish for it… nor do I think she knew exactly what was happening or what to do… but I do. We're getting you some professional help Yakko." Rita spoke as though she wasn't giving him the option. What he said next made her reel a bit in shock.

"Leave me alone. I'll kill you." He muttered. It wasn't just those words though. The anger in his eyes was very real and confusing still, were the tears that formed at the base of them when he said it. What was going on with him?

"Hey now! Don't speak to Rita that way!" Runt started to sense something was entirely off and felt himself grow rather protective. Rita made sure to keep him at bay with her paw though, slightly confusing the dog.

"Yakko. Say and do what you will but I can't, in all good consciousness, just leave you alone. You're obviously not well in way more ways than one."

"I'm fine… j-just…" Yakko felt himself wobble a bit. The blood was rushing to his head suddenly. There was too big a slew of emotions swirling throughout him. He was angry, sad, tired, and scared all at once and he didn't know which feeling was the more real and urgent one.

"Yakko?" Rita leaned closer, noticing his gritted teeth and lurching body.

"… Things… were so much easier to figure out… back when we had our show going…" Yakko sputtered out. "I can't tell what's what anymore…"

It was the first real coherent thing he had said and immediately after it, he clutched his stomach and heaved forward, effectively vomiting up a torrent of blood.

"WHOA! Yakko!" Rita immediately held his now shaking body steady as it was about to completely collapse. "Runt! Don't gawk! Call for help!" Rita shouted at her instantly frozen companion.

"Y-Y-Yu-Yeah s-su… Right! I'm goin'!" Runt fumbled over his words and raced off toward the building he knew still had people in it.

The main building that housed the CEO would surely have people who could help.

* * *

"So yes, the door will need to be replaced. Maybe something maroon colored and made of Autumn wood. Or perhaps steel! Y-Yes, v-very fashionable those steel enhanced doors are nowadays-" Plotz rambled on about the destroyed door and how it needed fixing all the while making it unknowingly obvious to everyone that he was much more rattled than he wanted to let on.

"Mr. Plotz. We'll worry about the door later, ya? Let's just try to calm down now." Dr. Scratchnsniff said with a concerned hand gesture.

"Calm down?!" Plotz shifted and stared right up at the doctor, causing him to step back a bit.

"Y-Yes. Think happy thoughts. Like sugar plums or Michelle Pfeiffer or uh-"

"Gold! And Silver… a-a-and money! Lots of leafy greens that I can enjoy counting! Y-yes, that sounds lovely." Plotz pondered, feigning happiness as he paced away from the doctor looking up at the ceiling. Ralph was eating donuts in a chair in the corner without all too much of a care in the world outside of relative concern for his boss.

Hello Nurse and the head detective who had interviewed Mindy and Buttons were standing by Plotz' desk where shards of the door hand ended up being flung from the break in earlier. The detective went by the name Shorenay and was rather peeved at how the investigation was going. It seemed as though they were surrounded by evidence, but none of it really leading to anyone they could legally pin as the culprit.

"Oh my. Found something." He said. Perhaps he had thought too soon. Everyone turned to face him when he spoke, except for Plotz.

"What? Another broken piece of wood?" Hello Nurse leaned down a bit to get a better look.

"No. This one's got a stain of red on it. I'm assuming that the axe that was used somehow wasn't entirely dry." Shorenay muttered to himself before holding it up to the light. "Strange though. How such a small amount ended up on the axe… or rather… the door?"

"What? Are you suggesting the door was bleeding or something?" Scratchnsniff scratched his head.

"… No. The culprit probably was though. Whether from an accident with his own weapon or he just spontaneously hacked it up, it's most likely a lead. I'll just need to get this over to my forensics team and we should be hot on the right trail." He grinned.

"Why aren't your forensics team people here anyway?" Hello Nurse asked.

"Because I'm more than enough. Case in point-!" He grinned and held up the wooden piece once again before slipping it into a plastic bag and taking off.

"I'm not sure but I'm thinking his style is rather unorthodox…" Scratchnsniff certainly wasn't wrong. Either way, the job he needed to get done, was indeed done. Perhaps that garnered some sort of credit.

When the guy had been gone for a relatively good amount of time Hello Nurse put her hand on her forehead with a sigh. She was ready to go to bed. Maybe she'd get some rest for a good 12 hours or so…

At that moment, her phone rang. She pouted a bit but answered it quickly. "Hello… Yes, I'm here I… What?"

The other three in the room turned to face her with sudden jolts of concern etched on their faces. Now what?

"Yes. Yes, I understand I'll be right over." She hung the phone up and raced toward the door.

"Something the matter Ms. Nurse?" Plotz interjected. As if he was going to allow himself to be out of the loop on this.

"Yakko's been admitted to the hospital." She said simply before continuing on.

"… Y-Yakkos Warners?" Ralph repeated, blinking twice.

"…Another Warner sibling… in the hospital?" Plotz mouthed, stunned.

"Oh Yakko…" Scratchnsniff recounted his final therapy session with him before trudging his way toward the exit as well.

"W-Where are you going?!" Plotz asked, feeling stupid immediately when he saw a glimpse of the doctor's terrified face. "… Ohhh… darn it all. Come on Ralph. We're going too."

"Yes sir!" Ralph stood up and let the donuts slide off his gut and onto the floor. The CEO head was too frazzled and on-edge to even care about the money that would come out of cleaning that spot on the carpet.

* * *

Skippy felt a tad odd. Dot was asleep on his shoulder on the couch they had in their little temporary home. He wouldn't have pegged her for a light snorer or someone who drooled but there it was. Still, he could understand why she was this way. She must've truly been exhausted. She looked terrible enough when she came in. It would've been torture asking her to stay awake for questioning by his aunt.

Speaking of Slappy, she was suddenly so spry and full of energy. She had to stop herself from bombarding the poor girl with questions. It had taken forever for her to stop crying and currently it was a little past midnight. Despite that, though, she was flipping through her papers and pictures like she was hopped up on caffeine.

"It sucks big time but he was the only one who could've done that to her. I don't believe that the boy would just snap and try to strangle his little sister. Granted this has probably been in development for some time and I just haven't latched as hard onto it as I should have. That night at the bar with those annoying pigeons should have clued me in onto something at least. I should've tailed him and studied his behavior. I should do that now actually. We need to visit the tower." Slappy spoke fast and furious. Her conclusion was met just as quickly and it surprised Skippy just how sudden it seemed too.

"Wait… what?" Skippy turned toward the rather eccentric woman with a slight look of confusion.

"It's okay. I can go alone. I just need to lube up my non-existent running boots and-" Slappy began before the phone rang. She grumbled and snatched it from the tacky looking lawn table. "Hello. This is Slappy and I can only assume your name is mud."

Skippy watched his aunt do her usual shtick before he recognized a change in her facial features. If he was more attentive he would've noticed that Dot was stirred from her sleep due to Slappy's sudden outbursts and Skippy resulting shifts in position on the couch.

"So you're serious?! That Yakko is really at the hospital?!" Slappy blurted out with enough affection in her voice to get Dot's eyes opening wider. She had heard it but wasn't sure if she had heard it right.

She became certain instantly when she saw Slappy throw the phone to the ground though. Dot jolted straight up and rubbed her eyes. Skippy felt a terrible feeling well up in the pit of his stomach as he watched the two of them.

Slappy stared angrily at the floor before shifting her gaze at the two kids. "Get up. Both of you. Now. We're off." She said stomping toward the door, seemingly not phased by the fact that Dot had been flung from her sleep into this heart wrenching situation.

The two kids hopped off the couch and followed her out of the garage. Skippy looked worried to the point of shivering the instant the cold night air hit his fur. Dot's face was a tad unreadable. She was horrified with herself and her seemingly careless reaction.

She knew a sudden burst of disbelief and worry would've been her usual reaction but she felt so odd and conflicted. She figured it must've been due to how Yakko had harmed her earlier but she was smarter than that. She knew that on the whole there was something beyond what she was able to fathom that was going on with Yakko.

There was no way he was just a cold, dark murderer now. If even that were true, she wouldn't believe it. The actual fact of the matter had this situation as something much worse than that and as such she had no idea how she was supposed to react to it.

She decided to try and figure it out. Her heart was beating fast so that meant she was either scared or anxious or both. Was she scared for herself or for Yakko? Why be scared for Yakko anymore? Of course it was because she loved him! Why even ask herself that?! Who cares if he tried to… well, of course that can't be let go either. He shouldn't have tried to… but what if it wasn't his own… no. That made no sense…

Dot face palmed and started to chuckle in obvious frustration. It ended with a tiny whimper of contempt for the nonsense she was being saddled with.

Maybe finally her ability to remain composed and collected despite how deep down the rabbit hole the situation keeps going was finally wearing off. That couldn't be good for anybody.

* * *

"I'm so tired of water. Can't I at least get a lemonade…?" Wakko grumbled as he stood by the refrigerator. He knew his access to sugar was pretty much more calculated than ever before with him at this hospital but goodness! A kid can only be sated with so much water. It was boring and tasted like… _water._

Wakko felt a slight wooziness wash over him and he stumbled back a bit. Quickly, he reached over and grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself. He managed to have a seat and sighed hard as he stared out ahead at the plain white wall opposite of the plain white wall he was currently closest too.

He was going stir crazy. He could feel it. He didn't want to be here anymore and there was so much outside these walls that he wanted to check up on. After that police investigation he had grown so much more worried about Yakko and Dot. He knew Yakko was going through… _something_ but he couldn't tell exactly.

He hadn't been home to see how Yakko had developed. However, that one time he had seen Yakko he had noticed how dead the light in his eyes were. He knew that Yakko hadn't been taking care of himself at all during the time when he was missing or in his coma. Wakko was smart enough to know that he certainly wouldn't start after he had said something so devastating to him.

He probably took the hammer to Yakko's already crumbling world and smashed it to pieces without even knowing it.

Wakko tapped the edge of the table. He was anxious and scared. He didn't know of what though. He was certain that whatever was going on warranted his attention. He was the middle child after all. Dot was the youngest so she couldn't be expected to shoulder the burden should the oldest be indisposed.

"… It's not like I'm in the best shape to take over though." Wakko grumbled, looking over himself. It was true. He wasn't even supposed to be out of bed. He hasn't had his ability to walk back for too terribly long after all. He had barely managed to make it to this room without falling over himself.

He just wanted something to drink besides water. Even milk would've done.

Wakko felt that this atmosphere was getting rather heavy. He was here by himself. He was all by his lonesome in this plain white room in a nasty, plain poke-a-dotted hospital gown contemplating the unknown and still recovering from the trauma of what he did know.

It was too quiet. That annoying ticking from the clock on the wall that you wouldn't notice should someone else be in the room with you was getting to him. He decided to focus on that and think about clocks. Anything to keep from thinking about that torture from before…

A loud bang was heard outside of the room. He leaned over to the open door, not expecting such a loud sound this late at night. He scurried over toward the door and peaked outside of it only to catch a glimpse of something terrible.

It happened fast but it wasn't quick enough for him to not take the image in.

Yakko, his older brother, was here. He saw Yakko being pushed past his line of sight. He was on one of those rolling beds he himself was carried into this place on! He was lurching and his body was contracting and he looked so pale and dead! He was dying! That had to be it!

"NO! Yakko!" Wakko called out suddenly, losing his edge instantly and slipping over his own feet when he ran out the door. He ended up slamming onto the ground and curling up in pain. That wasn't something that his body needed. Especially not in the condition he was in.

"Y-Yakko… ! Guh…" Wakko felt himself trying to hold back a gag. Seeing Yakko on that bed got his memories from before going. He in-avertedly began mixing that image with the torture exercises that were practiced on him back when he had been kidnapped. It made him sick, instantly.

"Wakko!" Hello Nurse ran up behind Wakko and lifted him up into her arms. Any other time he would've been overwhelmed with delight but Yakko was at the forefront of his mind and there he stayed. "What were you doing here? Why aren't you in bed?"

"Wh-Who cares about that?!" Wakko panted. He seemed to be having trouble drawing breath. He was losing his cool and hyperventilating. "Y-Yakko… Yakko's dying! We gotta save him!"

Hello Nurse looked Wakko over for a split second in slight shock. A flash of his grinning and bouncy self from the days of their show crossed her mind and made her heart ache. "Wakko. Wakko, calm down. We will. I promise you we will."

She had rushed here as fast as she could when she had gotten the phone call. Apparently, when Yakko was brought in he reacted rather violently and started smashing things in his way and barreling through whoever tried to stop him. Rita and Runt had managed to get him here with very little trouble but the instant he saw the hospital staff crowding him he just went on a rampage. It wasn't until he saw another familiar face in the form of Ms. Nurse that he lowered his mallet and instead threw up even more blood.

That was all that his body could take though. He collapsed immediately and they took that time to get him onto the bed and wheeled him toward the closest available room.

When one of the confused nurses from a nearby room came out to see what the commotion was about, Hello Nurse almost shoved Wakko into her arms. She didn't mean to be rough at all. Yakko's attention was what this situation warranted right now though.

When she made it into the room she felt as though she was experiencing a torrential wave of emotion that had never been present when dealing with other patients. That flash from the past happened once again, this time with Yakko. His happiness, his craziness, his spontaneous singing, his sporadic dancing, and his sloppy, wet kisses to the cheek all seemed like remnants from some fairy tale she had once been a part of.

This wasn't a part of the same life though. It couldn't have been, as the scene of Yakko convulsing and growing ever paler on the operating table before her was just too harsh a contrast to what she was used to seeing before.

* * *

_'… …'_

_Are you dead? Say something._

_'… ? Wha…?'_

_I knew it. Of course you're alive._

_'… I don't feel any more pain? What's going on? Am I trapped inside my head or something?'_

_'Or something' seems like a good answer._

_'You know what's going on… tell me what's happening…'_

_Stop demanding yourself to tell yourself stuff you don't know._

_'… … '_

_Say something! You're a talker, remember?_

_'… What is this really? Am I really so out of my mind that I'm having conversations with myself?'_

_Totally Insane-Y. We should try killing Plotz again._

_'Why couldn't I do it before?'_

_You chickened out._

_'… Is that what happened…? I wish the subconscious part of my mind could speak up…'_

_Well it can't. So I'm telling you what I know happened. It was quite the delight, right?_

_'Y-Yeah… it was fun…Hahaha. That look on his face… b-but I can't.'_

_You keep saying that. I don't think you know what those words mean, considering the fact that you're increasingly proving that you can._

_'Y-Yeah… I can… and it's fun… tons… Tons of FUN!'_

Yakko was sprawled out alone in a shadowy space. A wide grin was plastered on his face now, as the look of fear and concern melted away. Once again, just by speaking with the opposing side to his thoughts, he was convinced of his new place and path. He was diving so far down this new road and he knew that his body was shivering from excitement at being able to see it through.

He was certain that this is exactly what every fiber of his being now desired. It had to be! His actions and thoughts told him so!

_'… But then… all of that seems to go away whenever I start thinking about my sibs… and how awful I think murder is and the reason we had that moral code about ourselves…'_ Yakko's grin faded into a much more somber and softer expression. It mirrored an expression his normal self probably would've worn before.

_There's no need to worry about that. You tried to kill Dot today, remember? And Plotz was given quite the scare. It'll be a great way to use his fear to your advantage and entertain yourself with his and everyone else's plight. Looking at their faces as they twist with fright and sadness will be a direct guarantee to melt that final layer of resistance within you._

_'Layer of… resistance…?'_

_You failed to finish off Plotz today because you allowed the old you to resurface and stopped yourself. That side of you that still clings to those peace keeping ideals you held dearly before is disappearing. It hasn't gone away completely as your failed attempts at murder show but when it does your failure will turn to success and your life will be all the more meaningful for it._

_'… My… layer of resistance… against who I'm turning into… is melting away…?'_

_Yes. That's it exactly._

_'… Along with my love and care for my sibs… and everyone I got to know and love…'_

_It's for the best. You know it is. Allow me to melt away the remainder of that old side of you and you'll be able to understand completely. You'll no longer be confused. I represent the side of you that knows what the truth is and what you really wish to be._

Yakko started to allow his tears to fall. They dripped down and fluttered away into the void of wherever it was he now lay.

_'… This is who… I truly wish to be…?'_

_It is. Do not worry. You will live. This is your way of life. Should any part of you continue to resist or go against it, you'll only be hurting yourself._

_'… Hurting myself…'_

_Yes. All you'll be doing… is continuously making your body sick…_

* * *

Yakko woke up and stared at the ceiling. His body hurt all over and his insides felt like they were on fire. Vomiting up blood definitely wasn't something the body was accustomed to.

Despite that though, he could tell that his body was healing. Fast.

He had always written this stuff off before. His constant coughing spells having him doubled over, hacking, and spitting up unidentifiable gack followed by him feeling completely fine afterward was something he wrote off. No one knew what disease he had or why his body seemed to increasingly fail him, so he figured it was just the result of something abnormal he had.

He was too worried about his siblings and their well-being to care at the time. However, now that it had reached this level of devastation he had no choice but to pay attention.

It was astonishing how it was still working. His body would fail him but then he'd just get over it and heal faster than normal. He'd still _feel _awful but… he really wasn't.

Yakko sat up in the hospital bed and grunted at the sharp pain that hit his stomach. There were tubes connected to him and a bag of blood hanging nearby the bed. They must've concluded that he needed a blood transfusion or something. The way his body was functioning he wondered if that truly was necessary though.

"… Continuously resisting… all I'd be doing is making my body sick…?" Yakko flexed his fingers and stared at his palm as he spoke those words. How did having a conversation with himself inform him of something that no doctor or anyone else had no way of knowing? Was it something he made up to comfort himself?

"No… no, it's the truth… I can just tell… but that's ridiculous…" Yakko grumbled out. The beeping from that weird green line machine next to the wall was annoying him now. He was fine! The pain in his stomach was subsiding even…

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that what he had learned in that little day dream of his was more accurate than anything these professionals could dig up. It was true. The small pang of guilt followed by the slight urge to vomit confirmed it for him.

"My condition… shouldn't exist. I've never heard of something like this before…" Yakko rubbed his stomach and took a slight breath. "… That small part of me that tries to resist the insanity that I'm diving into is growing smaller and smaller… but the more it tries to resist the more dangerous and powerful my sickness becomes regardless."

He got it now. He was insane. He was almost 100 percent off the deep end now and his physical body was reacting to that in a strange way. The part of him that resisted and felt the need to think twice about his horrible actions was being rejected by both his mind and his body. It was growing smaller and smaller as time passed and eventually it would be gone, leaving him in full health but without his sanity.

Trying to hold onto that glimmer of his past self was what made him sick. It had started out as regular coughing and fainting spells and had now reached a point to where he was vomiting up blood.

His body didn't want him to remain the way he was in the days of old. It seems it would rather die than have Yakko try to retain his kind and brotherly side.

"… But… bodies don't have consciousness. There's no way it can decide that it likes the Insane Yakko better than the Big-Brother Yakko and allow itself to get sick and die the longer I hang onto that Big-Brother side…" Yakko looked out at the space in front of him as he reasoned all this. "… So is it that my body is deciding it doesn't like this and is making me sick… or is it something else…"

_Something else?_

_'Like you.'_

_Me? You mean you? I am you._

_'… I know… I know you're me… but…'_

_Deep down, you've always wanted this. The part of you that did is just starting to flourish now. You're correct. Your body isn't actively trying to make you sick. It just comes with the territory._

"What are you talking about?! Make sense already!" Yakko shouted this out-loud.

_I'm the part of you that's always been there and I exist in some form or another inside the minds of every living being on this planet. I truly AM you Yakko. The part of you that was overshadowed by that need and want of yours to be the best big brother you could possibly be to your siblings. I was overshadowed by your want to be a spokesman for comedy and a role model for the up and comers ahead of you who enjoyed your show and wanted to follow in your wake. I'm the part of you that always desired to see the world at your feet and do whatever it is that you wished._

"… I… never wanted to choke my little sister… o-or…"

_The truth is that you did. You've entertained the thought of murder before. Everyone has in some way or another. However, you're special because you're smart and you realize deep down that the sibs are expendable. Everything and everyone is._

"I'm not listening to this anymore! If you're me than shut up already! I don't want to hear it so I should just stop, right?"

_I'm still talking aren't I? You DO want to hear this because you know what I say is the truth. Someone as smart as you would've never had realized your full potential and taken the next step like you finally have with me suppressed all your life. However, I've manifested now! I'm almost entirely what makes up your system of thought now! It took over 60 years for the full brunt of hate to flow within us but we were the perfect candidate. Our younger sister and brother would never have been smart enough nor had the potential to see this to its full capacity. That's why it only affected you._

"That's why WHAT only affected me?!"

_The curse._

Yakko's eyes widened and he felt his pupils dilate a bit. A feeling or fear and despair like never before soaked into him and made him feel cold. He felt really cold.

His body temperature was_ abnormally_ cold.

"A… A curse…what curse…? I-I don't get it? What's that mean?!"

_Should that useless brotherly side of yours try to remain within you; the curse will be here to continuously make sure that your body suffers for it. Do not worry. I'm tearing down that tiny last part of you that still tries to regain who you once were back. If you simply give in and decide to help me rid that part of you from_ _your_ _system than the curse will have no reason to harm your body anymore and you can stop vomiting up blood. Won't that feel great?_

The expression of terror on Yakko's face was prominent now. He couldn't believe this. No, he could. He DID believe it. He just didn't want to. The fact that this was all real and happening to him was too horrifying.

"G-Go… Go away! P-Plea-"

_I know you can't wait until our next meeting with Plotz. That's gonna be a blast! Seeing his head roll down the hallway will surely bring tears of joy to your-_

"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yakko shouted at the top of his lungs. The nurses had already been on their way when they could've sworn they heard talking before. Since it was night-time, sounds echoed more fluently than usual. However, it was impossible to miss Yakko's screaming this time.

They all rushed in and surrounded his now thrashing body. They looked scared for him as they knew that this kind of reaction wasn't good for a body in the condition it was in when he was brought to this room.

They had to restrain him quickly though, as it looked like he was trying to claw at his head. It was a desperate attempt to scrape something out of there but there's no way they would've been able to know what.

* * *

Wakko wasn't sure what he was doing. He had been carted off to his room and told to remain in bed. He didn't know what was happening with Yakko. How long had he been out of the picture? That convulsing figure that was wheeled past him looked like a completely different person from the one he knew and loved from before.

He needed to be there for him. Despite that, here he was, sitting in bed because a nurse told him to do it. That wasn't the Warner way! He didn't do something just because someone told him to do it! Yakko was in danger and he needed to be there!

Wakko made an attempt to get up when the thought that had held him back crept back into his head.

_'What if me going there just screws things up more?'_

Wakko sighed and let the blanket drop. He knew hospitals had their procedures and that there was a reason as to why patients couldn't be visited in the middle of an operation and what not. He couldn't help wanting to go see. He felt like being the younger brother gave him some sort of unspoken privilege to go and see whether or not his older brother was truly dying.

It had been quiet for so long since Yakko was brought into that room. Then all of a sudden he had heard screaming. It was his brother's voice. He knew that. He had decided to make a dash for the door again but ended up falling on his butt due to his own body complications. He was dizzy and couldn't see straight. He wouldn't have been able to do anything regardless but in his condition he couldn't even make it there intact.

"I guess that successful trip to the Rec-room was just a fluke. I'm not recovered." Wakko muttered out as he recalled the last of what happened. He heard the rush past his room and knew that it was the sound of numerous people going into Yakko's room and taking care of the situation for him. The fact that it was silent now told him that it was under control.

Either that or he was dead.

Wakko shivered all over. He had been having thoughts like that on a constant basis after his kidnapping predicament. Every conclusion he tended to make was one that dealt with the negative and he hated it with a hot passion.

"I could try again… but…" Wakko began to speak before his door opened up. He looked over toward the front of the bed and his eyes widened a bit at the person he had caught a glimpse of.

"D-Dot?" Wakko asked, leaning forward a bit as his sister approached his bedside. She said nothing and her head was downcast. Something was wrong. "Wh-When did you get here?" Wakko asked.

"… Slappy got a call from the hospital and we rushed over… turns out we can't see Yakko right now…" Dot spoke solemnly.

"I guess that makes sense. He just had a little… episode earlier and it took a while to get him quiet again." Wakko grumbled out.

The two stood there in surprisingly awkward silence before Wakko chimed in with a question.

"So why didn't _you_ get the call and come over from that?" Wakko thought that was a rather sensible question. Surely, their first plan of action would've been to notify his family.

Dot didn't answer for a good 20 seconds. "It… well I… wasn't there…"

"What do you mean, you weren't there?" Wakko asked, feeling a strange sense of distain building up within him.

"I ran away from the Water Tower. I left Yakko alone and went to where Slappy and Skippy are staying while the investigation is going on." Dot explained, fiddling with her fingers.

Hold the phone. She did what now?

"Did you know Yakko was sick?" Wakko stared down at her, his voice noticeably disturbed.

"… Y-Yes… I-I did… "Dot choked back a few tears while absent-mindedly rubbing her throat.

"Did you know it was THAT bad?! He came in here on a stretcher, pale and bleeding out through the mouth and he was convulsing and he looked like he was dying and-" Wakko was feeling the confusion and anger well up within him suddenly and all at once. "A-Are you crazy!? What made you do that? Why would you-? H-How could you-?" Wakko was almost directly shouting at her when he noticed her full on crying and rubbing the bottom of her fist against her eye.

That's when he caught a glimpse of the slightly purple mark around her neck.

"… Wh-Where did you get that?" Wakko pointed at it. Dot jolted and spotted where his finger was directed at. She panicked.

"I… I didn't-"

"You didn't have that when you last visited me! What happened?" Wakko forced himself up and stumbled out of bed. His body was feeling at its worst as of now but he was forcefully ignoring it.

"Wakko please… I-I don't-" Dot began before Wakko grabbed her shoulders. He hated being out of the loop and he knew from Dot's reactions that she had been saddled with so much by herself. He could tell that she was in pain in so many ways and as an older brother he was here in the comfort of a hospital room while she suffered through it all. That wasn't going to fly with Wakko.

"Tell me. What happened?" Wakko said in a rare, soft and comforting voice. That made Dot lose it emotionally.

"Y-Yakko… I ran away because Yakko… tried to choke me to death!" Dot blurted out, in a rather soft voice but one that made it clear that she couldn't even believe what she had just said. She forced herself into Wakko's shirt and cried wholeheartedly. For once, she had one of her older siblings there to be of some comfort.

Wakko was holding her close. He was rubbing her back and making sure she got to let it all out. However, he did all this with a vacant stare straight ahead. His grip on her got noticeably tighter and he felt lightheaded. It was as though his body was on auto-pilot and time had slowed down. He twitched and started to collapse.

"W-Wakko?" Dot spoke up when Wakko suddenly fell to his knees. "Y-You gotta get back into bed… y-you're still recov-"

"I'm not… going to let go of you… " Wakko wheezed out.

"B-But…" Dot tried to interject but Wakko just held her tighter.

"I almost fainted from hearing that… but I have to keep my composure…" Wakko's tired voice had an added cracking effect to it. She watched tears spill from his eyes now. "If I don't… I don't know what I would do… "

"Wakko?" Dot went down to his level now.

"… So many stupid thoughts are in my stupid head now… so, instead of trying to sort them all out… I gotta do what an older brother is supposed to do and rely on that. I gotta be there for you and comfort you… and make sure we can stick together… like I should be doing in Yakko's place while he's gone…" Wakko's words came out in a stilted breath. He was sweating too. Dot could tell that the news she had hit him with was overwhelming his system and making him weak. He was trying to hold on as hard as he could for her sake though.

It was a battle he lost though. Wakko eventually passed out while hugging Dot close to his chest. She had felt him slump against her forehead and new that the full brunt of devastation had gotten to him at last.

Dot squeezed her eyes shut and helped Wakko's unconscious form back into his bed before muttering a response to his expression of brotherly plight.

"… Thank you. You're a great big brother."


	9. Eviction

_Thanks again for all the continued support. I'm still having quite the time writing this._

_**Chapter 9: Eviction **_

"Oohhh…" Plotz groaned as he watched the cleaning staff mop up the huge splotches of blood that were left behind when Yakko was taken away. Why was he here again?

"So do you know anything about his condition yet?" Rita was currently asking the closest doctor about Yakko's deal. There wasn't much comfort in this waiting room without constant reminder from one of the professionals that Yakko was indeed still alive.

The doctor at the counter looked over Yakko's clipboard. Apparently, the nurses had just finished putting him to sleep with a sedative. The report claimed he was hysterical and possibly hallucinating. It wasn't a good report but it didn't sound too bad next to the possible destruction of his body concerning his blood vomiting.

"He's asleep right now. As for his body's condition… it's not ruptured or damaged in any way shockingly. It's a scenario I'm not all too familiar with…" The doctor spoke. He hated the fact that he was unsure about anything going wrong with that poor boy's body.

He couldn't help that though. Yakko's body was no longer acting like that of a regular toon. It'd be impossible for the doctors to perceive or even understand what was really going on with him.

Right now, Plotz, Ralph, Slappy, Skippy, Rita, and Runt were all in the same location, trying to make sense of what was going on. They might've had better luck had their perception let go of anything too positive though.

Dr. Scratchnsniff and Hello Nurse had just been shown the way to Wakko's room to retrieve Dot. She had requested that she go see her older brother alone due to some private admission. Apparently, it was something that couldn't be heard by anyone other than the two of them.

They respected that. However, visiting time was over.

When they reached Wakko room, Scratchnsniff's face fell. It felt like his heart was being stomped on.

"Ohhh… This version of the Warners is so much worse than the one from before… why'd I wish any of that mischief to go away?" The man asked himself. He didn't think it possible, but he was having a hard time remembering what was so bad about the times before with them. All he could remember were the parts where they sung together in the same car, going down a stretch of highway and overlooking a sunset that would carry them to their next fun attraction.

Here, it was Dot curled up next to Wakko on the hospital bed. Both were asleep. Both had tears pouring from their eyes.

It felt villainous to pry Dot away from him and leave.

* * *

Yakko was nearing the end of Day two.

He hadn't slept at all. Not a wink.

When he fell asleep, he'd always see himself. He'd always have this crazed look on his face and he'd always hold the decapitated heads of his siblings up by their ears-

"Ice cream. They said they were getting me ice cream. What flavor will it be? I said whatever they had would be fine." Yakko spoke this out-loud. It was an obvious feeble attempt to steer his thoughts into a less gruesome focus.

These moments were odd. Here he was, feeling like he wasn't the crazed lunatic he was turning into but a victim who was being plagued by horrible thoughts that he was convinced he needed to continue asserting that they didn't belong to him. They couldn't. He wasn't like that.

"After all… I'm fine now… I'm not going around killing people here or talking about raising hell or whatever…" Yakko grumbled. His teeth clenched and he snarled a bit at the thought. "… B-But maybe that's what I should be doing… if it's my true self than why can't I live up to it! I shouldn't have to suffer like this! Giving in will make me feel better! No more throwing up blood or sickness or-"

Yakko stopped talking and squeaked out a whimper. "… Sibs… No, come on… think straight Yakko…"

It was becoming so hard to think without reverting to thoughts that supported that insane image of himself from his dreams. It was too hard. It was to the point where it literally started to hurt his head.

Thinking was actually hurting him. Was he officially an idiot now?

Yakko loomed over to the door at the end of the room. Just outside it and down the hall was the room where his little brother was staying. He hadn't seen him once since staying here though. That didn't seem possible. Then again, he understood that Wakko was most certainly still furious with him.

"I'd just try to strangle him any-NO! Shut up!" Yakko scrunched his head to the side and slammed his eyes shut, trying to flinch away the horrifying oncoming thoughts. They were HIS thoughts. He should be allowing himself to think them right? So why resist? What's the point if this was who he truly was deep down?

The door squeaked open.

Yakko flinched in slight fear and turned his head up to see the intruder. He was sweating now. All it took was a small session of thinking to himself and he would be left a confused, scared, and jittery mess. It wasn't the best way to look in front of anyone. Especially not his little brother.

But low and behold. There was Wakko standing in his hospital gown. His hands were at his side and his tongue was hanging out as always. However, he looked just as tired and as weak as he currently was. Yakko had guessed that Wakko's recovery was expected not to be all too fast but he figured Wakko to be at least a little better off than this.

Wakko blinked once or twice at Yakko before approaching the right side of his bed. He had enough strength to move around by himself now. His body was at a steady and healthy stabilized point with concern for his hypoglycemia. However, his physical and mental stimulation had been dealt a serious blow. Finding out what his older brother did to their little Dot…

The two didn't react to one another despite staring each other in the face. Wakko's face looked unreadable. He could've been angry or in a fit of despair for all anyone knew. Yakko's face was easy to read. His sweating and his slightly audible beating heart told them he was terrified.

"… Y-Yakko-" Wakko started, surprised that it came out with a stutter. He came here with the intention of saving face and remaining strong. How disappointing.

"Wakko. P-Please go away. I-If you stay by me you could get hurt." Yakko spoke with a bit of a sudden crack in his voice.

Wakko face was very readable now. His look was of genuine surprise. His older brother looked so frightened and out of control. He wasn't used to seeing Yakko not being in control of a situation. He didn't think it'd scare him this much but considering what Dot had told him, a lot had happened while he was stuck here.

"Please Yakko… I need to know what exactly happened that night." Wakko spoke as calmly as he could. He couldn't let himself get hysterical now. He came here determined to remain calm and to find the answers the right way. He wanted to work through this the right way instead of letting his pent up emotions take control. At least that what he wanted.

He was holding a lot back. He wanted to cry and scream and shout and rampage just like he always did whenever something devastating happened to him. And he wanted Yakko to come and try to talk him into feeling better and to comfort him like the caring big brother he was.

"… Which night?" Yakko asked. He knew exactly what Wakko was talking about.

"The night you came into the hospital! Before you got admitted something happened at the Water Tower that got Dot to leave right?!" Wakko's voice raised. He was surprised with himself. His hold over his calm demeanor was breaking rather quickly. He didn't expect himself to act totally composed when confronting his brother about the attempted murder of their sister but…

No. Why SHOULD he remain calm!? What was he trying to do that for!?

"I… I-I don't-" Yakko began. That set Wakko off. It was a small thing, denying something he knew he did out of fear, but at this point it was beyond insulting.

"Yes you do! You tell me what your problem is and I'll personally correct it myself you sorry excuse for an older brother!" Wakko's face was red.

Yakko looked at him in shock. He felt himself frown and start to twitch.

"I… I… tried to kill her…"

Wakko grabbed the sheets of Yakko's bed and clenched his fists in hard.

"Why?"

Yakko gulped lightly and looked to the side. Right when he was about to open his mouth, Wakko grabbed his ear and yanked him closer to his face. Yakko looked so helpless and was on the verge of more tears. He wanted Wakko to stay away for so many reasons now. Not just the fear of hurting him was looming here but the fear of confronting his actions once again was coming back.

"Tell me why!" It was a demand. Wakko had demanded Yakko say the reason.

Yakko… didn't know the reason…

"… I… I don't… know… I-"

Wakko's control had left the building. Apparently the thought of remaining calm was just a fantasy he thought he could conjure up due to how calm he was thinking about this alone in his room. But the object of this transgression was right in front of him now! It truly was a stupid intention.

"DON'T KNOW! What's THAT mean?!" Wakko shouted at him. Yakko clenched his eyes shut and forced his head to the side. More and more thoughts about Yakko were crowding Wakko's brain. The way he seemed after their little argument at the dinner table that one night wasn't the picture of perfection he had considered Yakko to be the best example of.

"… I…j-just-" Yakko tried talking again.

"You get me hospitalized over some stupid transaction with some underground crooks and now you go and strangle our little sister! Are you trying to kill us? Was all that so called work you were doing to support us just a front to make yourself feel better you disgusting piece of-"

"SHUT UP!" Yakko reacted on impulse as the conflicted feelings within him let loose again. Wakko did the same.

He slapped Yakko rather hard at the side of his face. It made Yakko grunt in a developing amount of anger.

"Don't you tell ME to shut up! You're out of your mind if you think I'm gonna let this go!" Wakko's face was the epitome of anger. Tears were at the edge of his eyes despite that. He never would've imagined himself slapping Yakko.

"… I did it… because she wasn't… she wasn't in the right frame of mind." Yakko eventually spoke. His eyes were focused directly on Wakko's.

...

"… W… What?" Wakko's eyes were bugged out. That answer horrified him.

Yakko was sweating and feeling his insides pulse.

"She… isn't… she doesn't like the true me… she doesn't want a place in the order that I follow now. So, I tried to kill her." Yakko wasn't looking at Wakko anymore. His eyes were drawn a bit far downward.

Wakko let go of Yakko's ear and stepped back. "… Order… that you follow…?"

"… I… the true me, isn't the older brother you grew up with Wakko…" Yakko spoke calmly. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"That's… that's not an answer! I want to know why you tried to-" Wakko began.

"Go away before I kill you."

The two of them stood there in silence. It was a good ten seconds before Wakko's beating heart sent a pulse to his chest that warned him to take several steps back…

Wakko found himself inching away from Yakko. This fear that he was feeling was sudden and overwhelming. The Yakko he was talking to earlier didn't seem like the same one who issued that declaration despite sounding exactly the same as him.

"Yakko… wh-what-?"

"You're like Dot. You won't be able to understand. The Yakko who you actually loved wouldn't understand either probably." Yakko spoke.

"… You ARE Yakko. You'll never stop being Yakko no matter how much you change. A-And…" Wakko looked straight at Yakko with his watery eyes. His anger and frustration all stemmed from the same heart. It was the heart that held concern and love for both his little sister and his older brother. Those feelings didn't go away, they simply transformed into new ones. He was feeling intense concern for Yakko now.

Wakko stepped back to the door. He was going to do as Yakko had asked. Should he confront him any longer… he could snap and lose the seemingly small grip he had on a rational mind. It was clear to Wakko that he was as crazy as he would've needed to be to try and strangle Dot.

Yakko didn't look up as Wakko stood by the door.

Wakko continued to stare at him.

"… I'll always love you."

Yakko heard the door shut after that statement. He sat there on the bed, shivering in a mixture of disgust and delight.

He looked up finally, and stared at the door with a tear ridden face.

He couldn't put into words what he was feeling now.

* * *

Wakko plopped back onto his bed and just looked at the wall.

The wall was only interesting for so long before his clouded thoughts rushed into his head and took over everything. Inside his brain, the little people operating it's functions were kicking desks over, tearing papers apart, pulling their hair out and screaming in intense frustration. On the outside, Wakko lay still. His eyes were wide open and staring straight at the wall to the side.

He went in there and he had lost his cool. He heard Yakko's "reason" for attacking Dot and when he had heard that it was anything other than a mistake, it shook him to his core. He was supposed to be getting better but this new development and the previous talk he had was setting him back quite a bit.

"… Yakko… my older brother…" Wakko whispered to himself, trying to reassure himself of what this situation actually was.

He hugged the pillow close to his body as he lied there, feeling a painful rush of despair wash over him.

"… He's… not really a murderer now… is he?"

Who did he expect to answer? It made him feel stupid. Being so in denial and unwilling to accept what was right in front of him.

Great. Now he was crying. He can't remain strong at all despite his declaration to Dot that he had no choice but to.

"… I wish I could just ignore my feelings…" Wakko spoke out before he had a chance to really think over what he said. When he did, he took that statement back. "No… if I could do that than I'd be no better than him… or rather, who he's turning into…"

'_Turning into?'_ Wakko thought to himself. "Is he not already a monster? He seemed to be struggling with his feelings back there… maybe…" Wakko sniffled and gulped slightly. Was this another pathetic attempt to shove off the truth? Was it smarter to just accept that Yakko was just off the deep end now?

Wakko blinked and loosened his grip around the pillow.

"… Well… I've never been one to support the smarter side of thinking…"

* * *

It wasn't even a half a day longer after that before Yakko was given a clean bill of health and allowed to be let go from the hospital.

Wakko hadn't gone back into Yakko's room at all after that. There was some definite tension between the two of them. Yakko may not have acted as if he harbored any ill will but his brain was in shambles by now. He could never think straight. Those instances where he was able to do so came so few and far between and just disappeared more and more as time went on.

Wakko may have never gone up to him and confronted him directly, but he saw Yakko all the time being led throughout the hospital. He'd always have either this dazed and tired expression on his face, or an over-excited mentally-unstable look about him that scared him enough to stay away.

It felt awful. Looking at his brother and seeing a monster. Being so scared that he couldn't even go up to him and hopelessly continue to try and work out what his problem was didn't sit well with him.

Even worse, the off times he heard Yakko talking, he was always by himself. He would always talk out loud and alone but would always swoon his voice over and let out random giggles every-time he spoke of something devastating or harmful.

It was a miracle he was actually able to talk to him when he was in one of those normal phases. After the talk he and Yakko had, Wakko had never seen Yakko look as stilted or as calm as he did there. He never talked like a normal person after that and he certainly never acted like one. He was either really depressed and incoherent or he was really insanely excited and incoherent.

He just couldn't talk or approach Yakko while he was like that. And if this was going to be the norm then he wondered if he'd ever feel comfortable around his older brother again.

News of Yakko's departure reached the ears of everyone who had seen him admitted into the hospital. Plotz wasn't all too surprised. He had always figured that the Warners were capable of fast recovery. He found it more odd that Wakko was still in the hospital even. He couldn't grasp just how odd it was that Yakko had already been let go.

Detective Shorenay did however. He, Hello Nurse, and Dr. Scratchnsniff were currently within the P-sychiatrist's office, discussing what was going on with the investigation and where it was certain to go from where he stood. As of now, the two former Animaniacs stars weren't liking his assertions.

"What did you just say?!" Hello Nurse demanded Shorenay repeat his statement.

Shorenay sighed and flung his head back a bit. "Look. I know you guys are… affiliated with the suspect but-"

"His name is Yakko." Hello Nurse cut in. "And ignoring that, why in the world would we heed such a stupid request?!"

Shorenay looked at the fuming blonde with a bit of distain. He didn't like dealing with civilians who wouldn't cooperate for the sake of an investigation.

"The suspect, Yakko Warner, recovered way too fast. Coupled with all that we've found so far it's too unusual a development not to look into." He spoke, trying to sound as straight forward as possible. "Fact is, I'm already dead set on him as my prime suspect. All I need is one more incident to fish him out. We need to do something that'll set him off and get him to walk into our trap. This is the best course of action."

It was Scratchnsniff's turn to get angry.

"Evicting Wakko from the hospital is the BEST course of action!? He hasn't recovered yet! Not only that but he was a victim of circumstance regarding the torturous actions of the people whose murderer you're currently investigating. You're just going to continuously torture and rupture this poor boy just to follow a ridiculous hunch you have!" The doctor was a nose away from Shorenay's face by now.

Shorenay lightly used two fingers to push him back a bit. "This is for the greater good. I cannot allow a murderer to run free and do as he pleases like this. You saw what he almost did to your CEO correct?"

"You don't KNOW that was Yakko! And even if it was the innocent tyke, it still doesn't change the fact that you're willing to stall the recovery of another assuredly innocent and hospitalized boy just to try and confirm your stupid findings. That you see no other alternative to prove investigation makes you one of the worst excuses for a detective in the history of ever!" Scratchnsniff was jabbing Shorenay's chest with his finger all throughout that rant.

"Stalled recovery or not, he'll live. Do it." Shorenay ordered.

"There's no way we're going to-" Hello Nurse began.

"Comply directly with me, or else you'll be swiftly removed from this situation yourselves and it'll get done in a much harsher way." Shorenay was done trying to get through to them. The possibility of simply lying to Yakko wouldn't work. Wakko needed to be removed from the hospital and have his brother be there in front of him. Wakko needed to be suffering and being denied a full recovery for this to work.

Scratchnsniff and Hello Nurse looked at each other than back at Shorenay.

"… We don't have any real way to stop you." Scratchnsniff spoke up.

"But, whatever you wish to do you're not enlisting our help for it." Hello Nurse finished for him.

Shorenay looked back and forth between the two of them for a few seconds and sighed. "Fine. Get out of my sight than. It'll take a little more doing without your direct help concerning your connection with the Warners but I can still make this happen."

The two of them turned and left, feeling less dirty being away from that horrid man.

* * *

"Stupid cops! They ain't worth crap!" One angry teen toon chuckled a bottle of soda at the fizzled television screen as the news was reporting the ongoing lockdown of the Warner Brothers Studio Lot. No new developments had been found on the murderer.

It had been leaked that Plotz was indeed attacked inside the lot though. This all but confirmed that the murders were directly linked to the Studio. It wasn't something that Plotz nor Stephen Spielberg wanted on their hands. This bad publicity was only making things worse.

"If any good comes out of this, it'll be that the WB lot finally gets shut down." One of the other occupants of the poorly lit underground room smirked and sat back.

The third occupant was the youngest of them currently there. He sat back and looked at the television, seemingly fixated on the Water Tower that reflected back at them. The two voices spoke up again as he watched.

"What? Did you use to work at Warner Brothers or something?"

"Nah. I was let go from Disney. The kid over there used to work for Warner Brothers." The voice said, acknowledging the youngest kid's presence.

Before he could talk back at him to say that he'd rather not speak about the subject, a beep went off on a black device he had strapped to his waist. Knowing what it meant, he got up and left without a word.

Down a much darker and danker hallway, there was a path toward a lone room at the end. Along the way there, other doors and spaces led to other areas throughout the base. It was full of enhanced technology bought with money pilfered from several innocents who wished to help mend their lives with just a few more hopelessly churned out dollars.

The height of their tech were a few jets and a really tricked out blimp. It was a marvel. However, the kid didn't pay any other rooms a single iota of attention as he neared the final chain locked door at the end of the long hallway.

He took out a small key and put it into the lock of the chains. They all fell to the side and revealed another lock. This time, it was on the door itself. He switched to the next key over and used it to fully unlock the door.

With a heavy push he managed to open it up and the musty air hit his face like an unpleasant waft of dirt from a feather duster. The room was pitch-black, except for the lowly lite television at the side of the wall.

It was playing re-runs of Animaniacs.

The kid eyed the T.V like he always did whenever he came in here before facing forward toward the large spiral shaped chair in the center of the room.

"You called for me sir?"

Seated at the top of the chair was a figure wearing a black coat that stretched from his neck straight down to his shoes. Everything about this person was dark except the constrasting white mask he wore over his face to hide his features. Apart of it was cracked at the sides and made large enough holes to see through. It looked as though it had been punctured with some sort of blunt object for that very purpose.

"How has the investigation been going?" The seated figure asked.

The boy sighed and scratched his head. He was really fixated on that investigation it seemed.

"Well sir… they haven't resolved it yet. I…I know that our three men can't be avenged unless we know who did it but relying on those professional idiots to handle this mess doesn't seem to be boding all too well for us." He grumbled out at his boss.

The man didn't react to his words. He simply turned to face the television still playing on the floor by the wall. It was playing an episode long sketch called "The Sound of Warners".

"… You're familiar with the Warner Brothers studio correct?" The man finally spoke.

"I all but lived there throughout the entirety of my show's run." He spoke. His boss already knew that though…

"Go there yourself, and find out what's happening. If it indeed turns out to be who we think it is, report back and I'll make take the necessary course of action." His line of speech ended with what sounded like a sigh.

"Yes sir." The boy turned around to leave.

"Please do remember to bolt the door up tight."

"Yes sir. I always do."

"That you do. Such a reliable catch you were."

"… " The boy sighed and went to shut the door before hearing one last comment from his boss. It almost made him tear up.

"Cheer up. Retribution for all of us will come. I assure you …" His head rested back as the light from outside disappeared.

"… Buster."

* * *

The Water Tower was empty. Yakko was sitting alone on the couch. He had been let go from the hospital and it was understandable why. He felt fine.

Yakko slumped against the couch. None of the lights were turned on. It wasn't full on night time really but it was extremely dark. This tower's atmosphere reflected what was going on outside it seemed.

The sun was down but there was no sunset; just really dark clouds. That meant it was going to rain.

Yakko was dead quiet. He was looking straight at the television despite it being turned off. He didn't like being alone but it was something he felt wasn't negotiable. Dot would've been crazy to stay in the same place as him.

"Ha… hahahahahaha…" Yakko started to laugh to himself. He started to grin. "Y-Yeah. At this point they're better off without me. Who cares! Heheheh! I can do whatever I want. No worries about their well-being! They've been disowned! Hehehehehe-"

The door's latch was unlocked. Yakko jolted up and faced it. His eye twitched and his deranged smile stayed.

When it opened, he saw Dot standing there. She was slightly wet due to the light drizzle that had started outside.

Their eyes met.

"… Dottie." Yakko smiled brightly.

"… Yakko." Dot closed the door slightly, but not all the way. It was a reflex she had just in-case she would ever need to run.

What a horrible reflex to have.

"… What do I owe the pleasure?" Yakko's voice was noticeably unsteady. Dot didn't know what to make of that.

"I just wanted to see you." Dot spoke silently but without a hint of fear evident in her voice. Truthfully, her heart was pounding rather hard but she had forced herself to come and see Yakko after his eviction from the hospital.

"See me? See me do what? I'm fresh out of tricks that don't involve murder and blood." Yakko chuckled. His smile didn't waver away, though the look in his eyes was certainly a bit softer.

Dot, of course, was starting to feel uneasy. "… I … I know your secret but I haven't told anyone. I can't… bring myself to… even if I would be assured safety by staying away from you I couldn't in all good conscience ever tell." She walked closer to Yakko.

Yakko's smile faded when he saw her strike up the courage to approach him. It hadn't been too long since he had tried to strangle her. Why would she-?

Dot wrapped her arms around Yakko.

She was hugging him!

Yakko was stunned. His deranged demeanor was gone and instead he was gaping in awe and worry.

It didn't last all too long though. Dot let go and backed away again. She was frowning. She looked so sad and scared. Yakko's face was reflecting the same thing right now.

"… D-Dot…?"

"Yakko… you're my big brother…" Dot spoke. They both knew this and yet she felt it had to be said. Yakko had heard this tone of affection just recently with Wakko. It seemed as though, every time it happened, he was slightly tame.

… _It's those two… they're the reason you keep resisting your true self… they exist as the permanent attachment to your past life. So long as they live, you can't truly be free._

'… _I tried to kill Dot… and I fought to regain control and let her go… and I tried to kill Plotz but I fought to remember what the three of us did for him and the Studio. We were always in this together.'_

Yakko and Dot were standing across from each other. They were looking into each other's eyes. Dot was hoping that something from the Yakko she knew would return. Yakko was struggling to make sense of this.

'… _Does she still think that's true? Does she still want the three of us to be together. Does the fact that I'm a psychopath not bother her or something? I helped raise her better than that! She should just disown me, just like I disowned them! This is the path I follow now…! I can't…'_

"Dot. Please leave." Yakko finally said something. It wasn't at all what she wanted to hear. Dot frowned and backed toward the door. She knew better than to question the now insane Yakko Warner. It would only lead to more problems.

That said, she wasn't going to silence herself either.

"… That hug… that was my decision… I'm going to stick by you. I'll get you help! I'll BE your help even! Murderer or not, you'll never stop being my older brother… and I'll never quit… loving you…"

Yakko's eye twitched yet again. His mouth hung open and he looked almost devastated.

"No… No NO! WHY!? WHY DAMMIT?! First Wakko and now YOU! The person who I tried to KILL!? What's the matter with you?! Are you insane? Do you have any idea what you're saying to me?!" Yakko shouted. He suddenly started to laugh and tear up. "Th-this isn't right. Heheheh. Haha! I-It doesn't make any… geh! I'm a murderer… ! I… you can't still… ha…hahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Dot was pressed against the door as Yakko's mind jumped and reeled in confusion. He couldn't comprehend this. It didn't make any logicial sense. Why would the two of them continue to love a monster like him?! WHY?!

Yakko pulled at his ears and bit his lip until it bled. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Y-You… insane little… does that mean you WANT me to kill you?!"

Dot looked downcast. She was shaking now as she watched Yakko have his episode but she didn't bolt for it. She was going to stay here… and Yakko was going to be reassured that he'd never lose the love the two of his younger siblings invested in him for so long.

"If you kill me… despite how angry Wakko already is and will be afterward… he'd never completely give up on you either. I know it." Dot's speech, while shaking and scared, was full of confidence. "Do you deny that?"

Yakko blinked. His eyes were wide and he was still. He shook and fidgeted where he stood suddenly. It went on for a good slew of seconds before he jolted his head up and let out a sharp, frustrated, ear-splitting scream!

Dot shrunk back in dismay and watched as Yakko screamed his heart out at the ceiling. He stopped abruptedly and began panting while secreting sweat.

He looked tired. He fell to his knees and let his palms touch the floor. He panted and let his head stare at the carpet with a look of hardened conflict. It was evident all over his body that there was a struggle going on inside him and Dot had just nearly made him explode from the pent up frustration.

He just couldn't grasp why his possible victims could still proclaim such love…

Dot jumped a bit when the door to the tower nudged into her back a bit. She stepped away from it and saw that it had been opened from the outside. Taking her eyes off Yakko for a second, she looked and saw Skippy standing there with a small paper notice in his hands. It was a tad wet, as was the rest of him, but it was in good readable condition.

"I heard the scream. Are you okay?" Skippy asked first. He knew Dot had gone to see Yakko. That scream had scared him a bit but having seen Dot standing still through the crack of the unclosed tower door assured him that she was at least unharmed physically. Still, he couldn't be too careful in a situation like this.

"I… I'm fine… I-Is that ALL you heard?" Dot asked quickly. Skippy blinked and nodded. She looked relieved to hear that.

Yakko stayed where he was. He wasn't moving from his spot on the carpet.

"A-Anyway… what are you-?" Dot began to ask before Skippy moved out of the way to reveal a second figure. Dot's look shifted to absolute surprise at what she saw.

Wakko was standing there. He was wobbling and tired but he was managing to remain standing regardless. It wasn't until he made an attempt to walk inside that he collapsed into Dot's arms.

"Wakko! Why are you here! What happened?! Did you leave the hospital?" Dot asked.

Yakko's ears twitched.

Wakko gulped and moaned in slight pain. "… I was about to get my regular shot but I… for some reason they… kicked me out."

The words lingered in the air for a bit.

Dot reacted first.

"WHAT?! They… kicked you out?! B-But… the pay should be well taken care of… wh-why would they-?"

"I don't know…" Wakko interrupted her. Skippy held onto the obvious eviction notice while he talked. "I'm not so good at going long distances or climbing so Skippy helped me here when I saw him, Rita, and Runt in the waiting room. I tried asking why but they kept saying that there wasn't anything they could do… a-and…" Wakko groaned. Dot quickly began to trot him over to the couch so he could sit and rest. He wasn't in a good condition at all. To be denied his shot of all things. What sense did this make?

"It seems so cruel…" Skippy muttered.

Yakko's fingers were gripping the carpet rather hard.

"… I knew it… Stuff like this… It'll never stop happening to us…"

Dot, Wakko, and Skippy all turned to face Yakko. They were about to inquire as to what he meant by that before he stood up and bolted just as fast out the door.

Skippy was pushed to the side and he fell into a small puddle on the red porch of the tower. Dot rushed toward the door and ran outside it in haste, with Wakko still over her shoulder due to having stopped mid-way from reaching the couch.

"Yakko! What're you doing?! Come back!"

Yakko ignored her. He slid down the ladder and struck the ground with intense feriousity. His mind was clouded and the booming thunder that began to blare in the sky didn't help clear it up.

"… Those monsters… the hospital… just by the lot… not too far… not too far…" Yakko muttered as he began running. His body felt cold despite how hot his feelings were. He moved fast and was fixated on his quickly formed designation. He stopped only once. It was to reach behind a dumpster where he produced his favorite axe. A wicked grin crossed his features.

"Evict my little brother for no reason… ? Bastards… Explaination… I'd better get one or else…! All of them… they'll all…!"

He ran onward, not paying any attention to the ones rushing after him from behind in the now pouring rain.


	10. Loving Insanity

_There's a point where you can't turn back. Discovery changes everything and the perception and reaction to what's been done can sometimes have your future decided for you. For better or for worse…_

_(And I'd love to extend a very grateful hand out to all those who are reading, reviewing, and/or enjoying this story. Your support and reception makes me extraordinarily happy. Truly it does.)_

* * *

_**Chapter 10: Loving Insanity**_

Each stomp through the puddles seemed to create some sort of active pulse throughout his body. His energy seemed to be welling up along with his determination and drive.

He knew what this was. An urge to kill… He'd felt this urge to murder and maim and rip and tear until there was nothing left! His mind was so clouded, he didn't care who he did it to despite the fact that he had a very clear target.

Those monsters that took Wakko from the hospital; they were the target of his aggression. His thoughts were swirling with how unfair the situation presented before he and his siblings was. They had done so much for this studio lot and Burbank in general. He had started off trying to embrace this downward slope as something that could lead them into a future worth living in rather than going the way of past retired Warner Brothers and Disney characters. While they lived in the gutter, wallowing in pity over their lost fame, Yakko would make a living for himself and would teach his siblings to move forward.

When the limelight drifts away they'll find a new one, for they are the Warner's three!

Yakko slammed the blunt end of his axe against a wooden post as he ran by it, the anger flaring as he gritted his teeth and blazed ahead.

_'Then the world threw up its middle finger and took all our money; took all of Wakko's hope and made him act out; took away my little sister's smile…'_

Yakko's eyes twitched.

_'… Took away my sanity… but that was a mistake. With my mind the way it is, I don't have to worry about sympathy or this world's window-dressed view of morality getting in my way. This is how it's supposed to be.'_

_Your sibs?_

_'I love my sibs! No one is to do this to them while I'm still around!'_

_You tried to kill your little sister._

_'So what?'_

_Your drive for doing this is the fault of your dwindling good side; that part of you that still loves your siblings and wishes to help them through this tough time. However, the insanity inflicted upon you by the curse has taken over even that. Both sides are starting to mix, which is why you're caring side now has the ability to use its pathetic love for your siblings as an excuse to murder._

"Call it whatever you want. This is the right thing to do. My sibs know that. They'll see it my way." Yakko spoke this out loud now. "I tried to kill Dot with my very own hands. I wasn't all there when I acted on impulse like that. But I understand why I could do it now!"

Yakko was running down the asphalt with his crazed face matted with rain water. The hospital at the very edge of the area considered to be an extension of the Warner Brothers property was in clear view. People were following him, but he didn't care. He had arrived at his answer.

"Hahahaha! I get it! I finally get it now! I'm gonna fight for my siblings. I'll fight for the way that they should be! They'll see what I do to those bastards and they'll agree with it! We'll continue down this path together and show the world whose boss! I tried to kill her, not just because I was worried about ruining everything before it could begin, but because I thought that she'd resent me when it had been let loose that I was a murderer. But she still loves me! So does Wakko! There's hope for them yet! There's still hope!"

Yakko trudged across the pathway and panted as he made an abrupt stop to stare straight ahead at the tall, gloomy building ahead. His axe was clutched tightly in his hand with the stained bloody tip not at all being obstructed by the rain. The axe was bleached red.

"There's still hope. I'm doing this for you Wakko. For the you I know you can be. It took me a while but I've realized it finally. I've realized that you were right to act out the way that you did. Being a "Yes man" and allowing the higher ups to trample all over you won't get you anywhere in life. We need to take this further. I will! I have to! Hahahahahaha! YES!"

Yakko's insane laugh echoed throughout the air. The numerous claps of thunder and flashes of lighting emphasized his effectively near complete dip off the deep end rather forcefully.

He made steps toward the building. His eyes dilated and his grin growing wider. He was blaring his teeth at nothing. The beautiful prospect of the massacre at hand was the spark that made his joints work so well now.

"I do this for my sibs. They'll agree with me. We stick together and we all know what's best for ourselves. Our VERY special friends need to be taught a lesson. They'll agree. I have faith in them. I know that they can see the light."

Yakko winced when a memory flashed across his mind. It was the horrified face Dot gave him when Yakko admitted to killing his debt collectors. Instantly his voice died down to that of a barely audible whisper and his over-excited face turned dark and straight.

"I don't ever want to see that disappointing and pathetic look on your face again Dot. No wonder I tried to kill you before. I do this for the both of you and you'll definitely agree that this is the right thing to do. On the off chance that you don't, then it'll mean that we aren't in sync…

Yakko pushed the front door open.

"And the Warners are always in sync. If we're not in sync it can only mean one thing…

The door creaked closed as Yakko had finally made it inside the building.

"… It would mean that you're not really my sibs anymore. And if I can't view you as my brother and sister, I can't see a reason to hold back my urge to kill you for going against me.

The door clicked shut.

"If you don't see it my way after this than you're disowned. I'll kill you. Both of you."

* * *

Wakko panted harder and harder. He coughed and hacked even. His departure from the hospital had only been for so long. It couldn't have had this bad an effect on him already.

He was so dizzy and weak. He could barely see past the rain drops as they plummeted from the sky and attacked the soil and asphalt around him. The strength in the downpour had increased since he, Dot, and Skippy had chased after Yakko when they saw him take off. He was convinced that the Heaven's above had this done on purpose just to spite him. The skies were taunting him and making the fact that he was so weak a cliff note to poke and prod for its amusement. He was scarred mentally and physically, for life and the atmosphere around him had absolutely no sympathy for him.

He hated this world. He wished he could make it pay just like all the people who had commissioned for the cancellation of their show. That feeling of hatred welled up within him again. It mixed with his sadness. The sadness took over.

Wakko was hunched over Dot's shoulder as the three kids finally made it to the hospital. Along the way, they had the misfortune of seeing Yakko swinging his newly acquired axe all over and talking to himself about things none of them could comprehend. He was so far gone that all their desperate shouts and pleads had not reached his ears. Was this how all killers were? So intent on focusing on their craft that they blocked out everything that wasn't their direct target?

"He went inside." Wakko murmured, out of breath and then some due to his condition. "We gotta keep going. We gotta stop…" Wakko winced and Dot faced him with obvious concern etched onto her face.

Skippy rushed past the two of them and kicked at the door, making it burst open immediately and swinging them to the sides. "So old fashioned. These doors aren't even automatic." Skippy grumbled in annoyance and turned to the other Warner siblings. "Come on! We've gotta get moving! Who knows what he'll do!?" Skippy's shouts were rather shaky. He hadn't seen Yakko outright act like this before. He had no idea what to initially make of it. A person he had spent so much of his young days around acting like one of those scary criminals with the creepy mugshots he saw on the news all the time. You might as well take a sledgehammer to both his heart and his piece of mind.

Dot hoisted Wakko up to give him better leverage and rushed forward and through the door, panting excessively. This was troubling but she knew that she'd need Wakko's help in trying to get through to Yakko. There was no way she could keep doing this alone. Now that it had come to this, she worried just how far gone her older brother really was. What did he think of them? What did they mean to him now? Was he the same person who cared and provided for them for so long.

When they played around the studio and were encouraged to reek as much havoc as they could for the sake of having fun and being the best at it, did it ever once cross her mind that the person leading them through these adventures on the lot and within the show would one day turn and run down this path?

Why? Why was he like this now? Where did his mind go? The questions were making her run faster. The urge to find Yakko and find out, once and for all, what his deal truly was pushed her along. Wakko's weight was no longer an issue. The middle child was pushing his best foot forward as well. They must've been thinking the same thing.

They knew this wasn't Yakko. It couldn't be. A monster tore away his skin and was now wearing it like a coat. Yakko's mind was chucked down a worm-hole that led to a whirl-pool of darkness and hatred. Something had happened to take their brother away from them!

They wanted Yakko back! They wanted to see their big brother again! This wasn't him! Whatever it was… it was just too scary…

They rushed forward, knowing that Wakko's room would be his first destination. They prayed he hadn't gone too far in already. Considering all the variables made it more than obvious how far ahead Yakko was though. He was older and faster and didn't have the misfortune of supporting someone over their shoulder. But Wakko needed to come along and if Dot had told him to stay he would've forced himself along regardless, further destroying his own body.

He wanted to confront Yakko. He had done so before but the effect it had on the situation must have not changed anything. Either that or it changed too much. Recently, all he felt he'd been doing with regards to Yakko is constantly treating him like crap.

On second thought, saying that he 'felt' it was stupid. He knew full well that he'd been acting out based solely on his rather strong and negative emotions toward the plight he and his siblings had been unfairly dealt. Yakko handled it as best he could and he just begrudged him for it and treated him like dirt. He took the bond they shared and tore it right down the middle. And for what? Because he was feeling a little depressed?

All the stuff he had said…

**_"If I hadn't been caught, we could've worked a plan out to extract all the money we needed whenever we wanted. It was worth a shot."_**

**" _The rate you're going, we'll be starved and homeless in no time. At least I was being creative rather than kissing Plotz' stout behind whenever I could."_**

**_"And where are you gonna get the money? Those loans and that cash you have stored up can only carry us so far. I haven't had a decent meal in weeks, BIG brother. "_**

Wakko felt more and more tears rush down the front of his face as he recounted his own idiocy and cruelty towards Yakko's past efforts. He looked ahead at the situation they were in now. He wanted to find his brother. He wanted to hug him and apologize so badly. He wanted to beg him; plead with him to stop this! This was insane!

The way he was now, he could only hope for his voice to reach him like it did before. This time it was for the better.

* * *

"Reconsider!" Rita shouted at the nurse's face. They were coming up on about the 30th time she had demanded that they do it.

"No. I'm telling you that it's out of my hands. I can't re-assign him back into the hospital." The nurse said in a voice that seemed to stammer a bit. She was aware of something that Rita and Runt weren't. However, all she could do was stay in her spot and react to their outbursts and refusal to accept the decision to evict Wakko.

"Hmph. You know, if we sued we'd probably manage to get this place in a heap of trouble. This is just inexcusable. On all accounts it stands as nothing but a haywire attempt to bully an injured kid." Rita's voice was as stern as it always was. There wasn't a hint of playfulness to it at all.

"I understand your concern but-"

"Oh you understand my concern. That's good. Yeah. I wonder just how inhumane that makes you and the rest of the nutjobs here though. Understanding it but going through with it anyway! You're lucky it's me standing here and not Slappy Squirrel. This place would've been blown sky high by now if she were here." Rita was raising her voice, intentionally getting the people in the waiting room riled up.

Some were finding her comments annoying, certainly. However, others were overhearing the details of the situation and finding themselves rather taken aback by what this conversation was suggesting. Had they all decided to put their lives and health in the hands of a hospital that would evict a child from its premises before his recovery with no clear motives behind doing so? The only thing keeping some of them from getting up and going was that, they really _didn't_ know what was going on.

The nurse was sweating a bit. She knew this looked bad but what could she do? She had to play along with it or else-

The door burst open, sending a jolt of shock up everyone's spine. The two figures, Hello Nurse and Dr. Scratchnsniff stood solemnly still in the doorway before entering.

"It's them…" Runt mouthed, somehow a bit surprised that they were here. Rita didn't look surprised though. She could even wager she knew why they had come.

"I wish I was more assertive. Perhaps I'd be able to drop pianos on people's head and shove dynamite down the pants of hooligans too." Dr. Scratchnsniff sighed as he entered.

"It wouldn't make the outcome any better. In fact it'd just make things worse. We need to get Wakko back into this hospital before things go from bad to worse." Hello Nurse chimed in, walking right beside the cat and dog.

"You want to explain what's going on? Far be it from me to expect this tramp to tell me anything." Rita extended her paw at the seemingly ashamed nurse behind the counter.

Scratchnsniff shifted his gaze toward the nurse with his hands still behind his back and his expression in a bit of a dull slump.

"I suppose what is passing for nurses and caretakers in this day in age wouldn't be up for that, no."

The statement surprised all four of the ones in his company. It was a line so harsh and bitter being spoken so calmly and with an aura of obvious sadness that made it sound like a direct truth rather than an unwanted opinion.

Instantly, as if ignoring their reactions, he turned to face Rita and Runt. "I thank you for your asserted effort. However, a situation like this needs to be dealt with at the source. The head of the hospital or the doctor assigned to Wakko's room should be there right now I presume?" He asked this while shifting his gaze slightly at the woman behind the counter.

The nurse sighed and nodded. Wakko hadn't been discharged that long ago so they were certainly still there, discussing the situation they were in among themselves.

"Alright, than I'm off to-" Dr. Scratchnsniff began before the door once again was forced open and slammed harshly against the opposite wall. The crashing sound and the sudden intrusion made everyone jump. Their eyes along with the eyes of the waiting patients among the large room stared ahead at the door as the force with which it was opened caused it to slowly creak towards a close.

Before it could though, another heart-jolting extension of the scene before them had the sharp edge of a crimson tipped axe pounded into the cheap wood of the door. The force of the cudgel against the entry way almost made it pop off its hinges.

The waiting room was intensely quiet at first before the prickling of the wood breaking off sent shivers up everyone's spines and caused them to panic and scream.

Dr. Scratchnsniff, Hello Nurse, Rita, and Runt were all staring in wide-eyed astonishment as the figure that had his gloved hands tightly gripped to the deadly weapon lurked into the room with an unforgiving glare.

"It's… Y-Y-Yakko…" Runt was the first to finally speak something coherent amongst all the screams.

Indeed it was. He was crouched a bit and panting slightly from the long, vengeance fueled rush toward this room but his face sported just as much venom as it did on his way over.

The room was loud and in hysterics but as Yakko eyed the four familiar faces in his way, a euphoria of silence is what was felt between them all. Seeing Yakko all crazed and blood-thirsty was just as scary and unsettling as it was last time to Rita. Her pupils looked like they were twitching as they fell upon him. Runt was finding himself frozen in place, eyeing Yakko's danger ridden face and the axe at the end of his arm. Scratchnsniff and Hello Nurse were fidgeting. They were trying to take up the nerve to speak with him but the implication to do so wasn't resonating quickly enough in there nervous systems.

Yakko acted first, nearly taking out Dr. Scratchnsniff's foot with how devastating and sudden his swing down of the axe was at the ground in front of him! The now scrambled and frightened doctor scampered back and smacked his back against the nurse's desk. The person standing behind it was now out of sight, presumably ducking underneath the desk in the commotion.

Yakko looked right up when the movement the doctor made crossed his field of vision. He spotted their faces. Their faces were filled with fright and intense, striking terror. He could tell that none of them had ever been faced with a situation that had an axe-murderer in the midst of their presence. It at the very least assured that none of them tried being a hero.

Some were closer to him than others. One man was sitting on a couch right next to him even. It was just his dumb luck though. He couldn't move now. No one could. The fear that instilled them told them not to move. They'd have to make due with whatever position they were at.

The screaming had died down amongst the adults, who remained transfixed and scared, but the whimpers and cries of the woman and children still echoed noticeably throughout the open air. Yakko had grown to love the sounds of their fright. He could actually understand what Judge Doom was feeling when he had that piano take it to the brother of that one detective's head. Yakko would've been absolutely giddy had this situation not called for a more serious demeanor.

He wasn't smiling. He was angry and his eyes were cold. This wasn't funny to anyone, not even him.

His slow roaming eyes landed on Hello Nurse, who flinched when she saw him staring at her like that. Another flashback happened. The bright smiling face of the Yakko from Animaniacs jumped into her arms, kissed her cheek, and hollered "Helloooooo Nurse!" right before his eyes turned to hearts and he begged for some sort of treatment or punishment. This person standing in front of her… it was the same child?

The very thought made her tear up. When Dr. Scratchnsniff saw those teary eyes he took the initiative to finally say something.

"Y-Yakko…" His eyes darted to the axe. The marks left on the door of Plotz' office and the allegations that Detective Shorenay had imposed on the young lad had all been confirmed in that very instant. Admitting that such a horrible excuse for a detective had been right in his assumption about Yakko was hard. It was just as hard faced with the reality that his method of drawing it out could do nothing but harm more people. This picture wasn't promising in the least.

Yakko's gaze didn't drift away from the blond nurse, even when he was addressed directly by the P-sychiatrist.

"Hello Nurse. Tell me where the head of this place is." Yakko spoke in his usual voice. It wasn't over the top or in a whisper. It was his straight, regular voice presented calmly despite his fierce expression.

"Yakko..." Dr. Scratchnsniff tried speaking again. His voice was just as calm, if not a tiny bit shaky. "Please, put the axe away. This is a hospital."

As if holding a red tinted axe and breaking into an establishment so roughly wouldn't have mattered if this weren't a hospital…

"So what?" Yakko spoke up.

"I know you're upset-" Scratchnsniff had a lump in his throat. His body felt a tad cold. "-But we need to react to this situation rationally. We need t-"

**SPAK!**

A loud shriek was heard from the woman across the room. Dr. Scratchnsniff immediately stopped talking after observing Yakko's frighteningly sudden action.

Yakko's gaze didn't shift from Hello Nurse at all. However, his body moved quickly. All it took was him swiftly raising his arm and swinging back. A simple action and it had the room solidified in an air of dark tidings ahead.

The action had thrust the axe directly into the chest of the man unfortunate enough to have been sitting directly next to him.

All of their eyes widened as the man bled out and limped in his sitting position. Without any care at all, he forcefully removed the axe from his body and let the blood splatter a bit across the ground in front of them all. It was dripping with fresh blood now. Yakko's face hadn't shifted one iota.

"Don't be so surprised. People die in hospitals all the time." Yakko retorted to the onlookers without facing away.

Dr. Scratchnsniff had stopped moving. He had stopped talking. The utter shock that overcame seeing Yakko Warner of all people… like this was…

Did the word exist for what this was?

"Tell me where he is." Yakko asked Hello Nurse once again. She was shaking in her place but didn't shy away from considering her resolve concerning the matter. All she needed to do was be blissfully unaware of the corpse beside the young Warner kid.

Kid… he was a kid and he had just…

Thoughts like this floated throughout her and everyone else's minds. This was the longest Runt had probably remained quiet and staying still without him having to be asleep even.

Eventually, Hello Nurse spoke up again. Yakko hadn't moved an inch.

"He's… in Wakko's room…" She said softly.

When the sentence reached his ears Yakko instantly bolted and he did so at a quick sprint. This alarmed the onlookers and had them scrambling for the door. When it registered that he was heading in a direction opposite from their escape route, their mental facilities kicked in and ordered them toward the exit.

"Yakko!" Rita found herself shouting out without thinking. Her heart was pumping faster. Dr. Scratchnsniff felt himself heading after him. His thoughts didn't process anything other than trying to stop Yakko.

The doctor in question was standing alone in Wakko's room, trying to cut his important phone call short due to the commotion he was hearing from the lobby.

"Mr. Detective, I apologize greatly but I can't stall my operations any longer. I don't see what staying in this room has to do with your plan." He sounded rather annoyed.

_'Come off it. This is for the greater good. Besides, I'm sure that little Warner child was quite the hassle to manage.'_

"Maybe so, but a patient is a patient! Nothing can excuse neglecting service to a young lad in need of medical atten-!"

The door behind him slammed and locked shut.

"Yakko! No! Please stop this now!" Dr. Scratchnsniff cried and pounded on the door outside the room. He hadn't been fast enough and Yakko had managed to make it to the room before him.

The doctor closed up his cell-phone, ignoring the demands from Shorenay on the other end to tell him what was going on, and faced his front. The figure he spotted instantly made him shrink back in fear and drop the phone to the floor.

The featureless, angry expression on Yakko's face was gone. It had been repleaced with a dark grin that showed off his clenched teeth. His eyes were wide open and his hands were shaking and fidgeting in excitement. It was the eldest of the Warner brothers, standing right there in his presence with a clearly activated thirst for the kill surging through him.

"Y-You… look just like-" The doctor began before Yakko stomped forward.

"Don't think about it. Just let what happens happen." Yakko advanced upon the man. "And then you won't have to think about anything ever again."

* * *

A stroke of lightning short-circuited the power in the hospital. Dot let out a yelp as it took her by surprise. The atmosphere was already freaky enough. She didn't need this happening now. She hoped this place wasn't so primitive as to not have a back-up generator...

Still, she didn't stop running. Wakko was hoisted over her shoulder and Skippy was rushing slightly ahead of them as they traversed down the long hallway and finally reached the door leading to the waiting room.

The three of them stopped and just stared at the entry way. It was dark in this hospital now. Not only was it night-time but a storm was raging outside, making the lightning flashes the only constant source of dependable light. They could still see but the darkness was simply that of a hazy blue shade.

It was deafly quiet. They all could have sworn that they had heard people rioting or something from this room. Since they hadn't come across any people along the way here, they must have headed toward the exit on the opposite end of the just as long second half of the hallway.

The darkness and the silence alone would've been enough to unsettle them but the door's condition sealed their fear as something definite. It was burst down the center from a chopping mark left by what they knew to be the axe Yakko had carried along with them.

The three of them stared at the door as it jittered on its hinges, creaking slightly as the thunder blared in the background.

Wakko was the first to swallow the lump in his throat and push at the door. The instant it opened, the three of them jumped at spotting three figures in the room.

Hello Nurse was slumped against the couch with her head in her hands. She looked as though she was crying. Nearby the counter sat Rita and Runt. They looked frozen in stunned silence, staring directly at the doorway across from the waiting room that lead toward the rooms where the patients were kept.

Skippy walked forward, instantly feeling a rush of cold air that chilled him to the bone when he headed inside, and headed up to the cat and the dog.

"Wh-What happened? Wh-Where's Yakko?" Skippy asked, his voice shaky and cracked. Dot and Wakko wore stilted expressions of worry as they stepped inside after him.

Rita didn't answer Skippy directed. She just raised a paw and pointed at the door. Skippy blinked as he looked right at her. She was fidgeting and deep in thought. None of what was going through her head was pleasant or welcome. However, all of it was unavoidable. She couldn't help but think what she was thinking now after what she had witnessed.

Skippy felt his eyes tear up. "Sh-She says that… I-I mean she's… implying th-that… Yakko headed in there…" Skippy turned his head to face the door but screamed and fell onto his bottom when he came face to face with the deceased man on the couch.

He scooted back and whimpered, letting his scared tears fall while muttering "No" over and over again. Eventually, he reverted to lightly calling for his Aunt and fidgeted in the fetal position with his tail wrapped around his body. The atmosphere had already done a number on him. However, coming face to face with something like that had broken him. He couldn't continue on into that room with Wakko and Dot.

The two Warners turned and looked at what had frightened Skippy. Their eyes widened drastically and Dot almost dropped Wakko to the floor. Wakko went light-headed simply from the thought that Yakko could've done this…

Bile was building up in his throat. The scene in front of them was too gross and disturbing. They had to look away but couldn't.

The pounding on the door down the hall behind them had them fall out of their funk. Wakko and Dot both turned behind them and faced the doorway that lead to where Rita had directed them. They were both sweating and feeling the effects of this situation weigh them down instantly. Their minds were muddled with thoughts of how nightmarish this all was and what the implications behind this man's death had to have meant. They knew he was on his way here to do something like this but… a thought in your head and the actual event happening in real life called for two very different reactions.

Both of them were starting to fidget rhythmically and their tears resembled mini waterfalls. This was way too much for the both of them. Their bodies suddenly jolted on impulse when the banging got louder. They rushed through the doorway and ran toward Wakko's old room. Wakko didn't even care that he was stumbling from how poor his body's condition was. That wasn't anywhere near the forefront of his mind.

_'Yakko! Please stop! Please stop! Please! I'm sorry! I was wrong! I'll do anything! Please stop!'_ Wakko repeated the same phrases in his head desperately as he scampered down the hall with Dot just a few meters ahead of him. He was out of breath by the time he reached the door but was still straightened up and standing as tall as he could.

At the door, they saw Dr. Scratchnsniff pounding on its front, jimmying the lock, and kicking at it in a feeble attempt to get inside and stop whatever was going on behind it.

"Yakko! Open this door! Now! Open up! We needs to be talking this over ya? Please?" The doctor kept on his assault not noticing the other two Warners beside him.

"Yakko's inside this room?" Dot asked, frantic and jumpy. Dr. Scratchnsniff jumped himself when he heard Dot speak. Unbeknownst to him it was the first time either of the siblings had said a word since entering the hospital.

Wakko stared at the door. He could hear squelching and pounding sounds faintly from behind the door. He looked around, instantly remembering how he didn't have his gag bag on him. He looked for anything. Anything removable that could help with getting inside. His eyes landed on a picture on the wall. He didn't even look at what it was a painting off. He tore it off the wall and smashed the edges of the frame as hard as he could at the side of the door. Dot initially was surprised by Wakko's action but the very next time he made a movement to smash against the door, she held onto the frame and rammed into it as well.

The wood cracked first, broke through second, and burst apart the third try. With a clear enough hole in the room, Wakko reached in and felt for the knob, unlocking it and taking his hand back out. Dot received his confirmation that the door was unlocked with a nod and she pushed it open.

The three of them looked ahead as the door skidded open.

Yakko was standing still facing the window as the rain poured outside. The flashes of lightning and the booming thunder seemed to transfix him incredulously.

They couldn't see his face. However, they spotted the axe. It was coated with blood. The same was to be said for Yakko's brown pants and his previously white gloves.

Wakko stumbled forward into the room. The other two were too stunned to move and try to stop him.

Wakko felt his raging rapid tears continue to fall but paid it no mind. His face was one of devastating confusion and sadness as well as a tremendous amount of fear.

Wakko stood in the center of the room as the lighting flashed once again. Neither of the brothers moved from their spots.

He knew that there was a body on the ground. A headless body that had been hacked through with an axe no less. He didn't pay it any attention. He knew that if he did, he would've vomited or fainted or both.

Staring at his brother offered no comfort to him though. The way he simply stood there and looked out the glass window into the dead of night without reacting to his presence despite it being obvious that someone else was in the room with him was-

"Hello Wakko." Yakko's voice reached Wakko's ears. The middle child flinched and stood in his spot, just staring right at Yakko from behind as he continued to cry.

There was a cold, dead silence.

"… Are you proud of me?" Yakko asked suddenly.

"…F-For what…?" Wakko stammered. His voice was barely above a whisper due to how dry his throat was.

"For this…" Yakko raised the axe a bit. Wakko felt himself drift near the edge of lightheadedness when he saw the axe start to drip. "I did this for you."

"… I… I didn't want…" Wakko choked out before Yakko continued.

"You were right Wakko. I see that now. So we can stop pretending we're under society's influence now. The world is our oyster. We can do whatever we want to ensure that we remain happy. I can finally fulfill my promise to you and Dot." Yakko said, his voice sounding like its usual self. It didn't come out sounding like a monster that had taken his older brother over of something. It sounded like Yakko.

Wakko felt really cold. He was scared out of his mind.

"I… I'm s-sorry… I wasn't… I didn't mean… I…" Wakko tried to articulate his words. He had thought over what he was going to say to Yakko plenty of times. But he couldn't find any sort of coherence now that this had happened.

"You have nothing to feel sorry for. Remember, I did this for you…" Yakko turned around and faced his younger brother.

Wakko's eyes couldn't get any bigger. He was shocked. Stunned. Frozen in place. He couldn't believe the expression Yakko was wearing on his face.

It was just a normal, caring, gentle, loving smile.

"… For you and our future, Wakko."


	11. The Bond We Share

_****I apologize if the wait was a tad longer this time. I had, and still do, have a lot on my plate. This is always important though. _

_**Chapter 11: The Bond We Share**_

For their future.

The only way for them to live happy lives from now on was to murder and maim the oppositions in their way?

Was that really the only way for the Warners to live on the way they wished to?

Wakko was actually contemplating the idea behind that. Acting on it was out of the question. But the very idea that the world hated them so much that the only way for them to achieve happiness was to go legitimately insane-y?

Wakko was still crying as he tried to keep his gaze fixated on his scary older brother. He sniffled and shook his head back and forth, to shake off the water and to get a better view. The world was always blurry behind those tears.

"It's scary looking now, but I promise you, you'll get used to it." Yakko smiled warmly.

Wakko was shaking profoundly. He was surprised when he eventually managed to find his voice.

"… Th-This won't… it won't help our futures… in any way. You're just making things worse!" Wakko's voice inflections were cracked. He was trying to project himself due to the fact that this was his brother… and yet was still with-held due to the fact that he _wasn't_ his brother.

Yakko tilted his head to the side with a look of genuine confusion and peaked curiosity. Wakko's words seemed to have miffed him.

"What do you mean Wakko?" Yakko spoke out-loud. His voice was softer than it had been just seconds before. It made Wakko shiver but his gaze didn't shift away.

"You know what I mean… killing that guy in the waiting room… a-and the doctor just now! All that is … is really extreme revenge… it won't change the way people treat us." Wakko spoke, his hands out, in a bit of a pleading gesture.

"… That sounds… familiar…" Yakko muttered. Wakko blinked, a bit distraught, before Yakko spoke again. "Oh yeah. I said something like that to you… back when you were acting out…" Yakko smiled.

Wakko's eyes widened and his frown seemed to freeze in place, aside from the occasional quivering lower lip. Yakko was certainly right about that. Somehow, their positions on the matter had been reversed. Wakko began to ponder this. He knew he was more impulsive and stuck hard to his own selfish beliefs than either of his siblings tended to. Had he continued doing what he had been doing, would he have eventually reached the same conclusion Yakko seems to have come to?

Wakko shook his head and took a step back, suddenly feeling really dizzy. He unconsciously clutched at his chest. Yakko took notice and let out a concerned gasp.

"Are you hurting?" He asked with a smile.

Wakko felt more water works on the way as he nodded. Emotional pain and worry built up so quickly in a situation like this. He had already been tortured physically. He knew there was little chance he could survive this mental stress.

"We can get you treatment now. Heheh. I doubt they'll refuse any-" Yakko grinned, while twirling the axe, flinging some blood on Wakko's shirt. Wakko instantly let out a cry of terror and shrunk back, shaking all over and feeling his cold body grow even more goosebumps.

"St-stop it! Just stop it already!" Wakko cried. Dot and Dr. Scratchnsniff stood by the door, watching the scene as if it were hypnotizing them. It wasn't wonderment they watched with though. The wide-eyed terror evident in their expressions was proof enough of that.

"Stop what?" Yakko asked, dryly.

"You know what!" Wakko stomped his foot onto the floor. "You… You're Yakko! You're my big brother… a-and you've gone completely off the rails! Come back to me Yakko! This… this is really scary… I'm terrified right now! Can't you see that?!"

Yakko looked right at him. It seemed more like he was looking right into him even. The depth of his soul was starting to feel violated by how intently Yakko was looking into him.

"… You don't sound like you're having fun. Wakko, that's what we do best. Come on. Laugh with me." Yakko put on a grin.

Wakko shivered. This wasn't the kind of fun they had. This was a morally bankrupt, twisted idea of fun that toons who had gone completely off the deep end engaged in. He had never once considered the idea that his brother would be one of those people.

Yakko's grin faded when Wakko's reaction amounted to little more than a shake. His face slowly contorted a worried half-smile.

"C-Come on Wakko. It can't be that hard to understand. I admit it took me a while too but I was being a stick in the mud before all this began. You were already on your way there. This is the only way to ensure we remain happy. My brother… my brother and sister would agree with me. I know that they will. I have faith in them. We can keep this going together and then our worries will disappear." Yakko began to spout out loud, his own voice a bit shaky with worry.

Wakko , as well as Dot, both looked ahead at him. Their eyes met his head on. Yakko felt his own heart beat faster. It couldn't be…

"You guys… you're not seriously going to refuse me are you?" Yakko felt his eye twitch.

Wakko let a few more tears drop before he took in a deep breath and let it out.

"… You're trying to make it sound like we just don't understand. But any path that leads to stuff like this, we don't _want_ to understand. There's no way me, or Dot, or the real you would ever do this. You need help Yakko. Let us help you. We love you." Wakko all but whispered that last sentence. He had said it with confidence before back at the hospital and it was still true, no doubt. He just couldn't help but feel that Yakko was the one who didn't care to take that into account anymore.

Yakko was standing there, wide-eyed and in a genuine state of shock. He looked at Wakko's face. His little brother was sure of himself and of his words. Turning to face Dot, she had put on a similar face. One of worry and fear but was obviously fully intent on standing at Wakko's side on this. Not his.

Yakko shook and rocked lightly on his feet. His eyes were downcast and the lightning and thunder blaring from the window behind him only seemed to set the spark going off in him even more. Wakko unknowingly took a step back. He froze again when he saw the tight fist around the bloody axe his brother was holding get ever tighter.

"So this is the truth." Yakko spoke finally. He was squeezing the handle of the axe rather hard suddenly. "My sibs… they'd… never…" He groaned out and clutched it even harder. A tiny bit of cfimson started to become evident under his gloves as he kept squeezing the axe, effectively bruising his own skin due to the amount of force being used to do so.

Wakko didn't pay any mind to how his body was reacting to seeing his brother shiver with anxiousness. Wakko's breathing was getting ragged and he was started to sweat. His nervousness was turning into an alert of caution.

He hesitantly began to speak back up to Yakko.

"W-We'd n-never-?"

"Never!" Yakko shot his head up and screamed at him. Wakko slunk back, pouting slightly as his fear began to overtake him.

"Y-Yakko. P-Please, we-"

"My sibs would never do this to me! They'd see clearer than this! I have faith in them!" Yakko started to advance on Wakko; with his passé quick from the start.

"Yakko! We aren't-! W-We can't-!" Wakko was starting to stumble over his words and almost tripped over himself due to backing up in surprise.

"You're not Wakko! And she's not Dot! I was right to strangle her after all!" Yakko spat at him.

"NO! Yakk-!" Wakko had his hands up as a flimsy form of protection.

"I made a mistake in believing in you empty husks! You're not my brother and sister!" Yakko raised his axe.

"Please stop!" Wakko cried.

"The two of them are long gone. I'm disowning you!" Yakko shouted and swung down at him.

Wakko let out a scream and shut his eyes. He felt his back jolt immediately afterward though. The force of whatever struck him send him spiraling to the side and he bounced across the floor and against the wall.

Wakko looked down at himself and saw Dot with her arms wrapped around his waist. She had tackled him from the side and got him clear out of the way of the swing before it stuck into him. The axe was slammed against the ground with an effective splitting crack in the floor as a result from the force put behind it.

That swing wasn't just intended to kill him. He would've hacked him apart with a hit like that!

"We gotta run!" Dot shouted at Wakko's still face. Wakko didn't respond to her. He just stared at the area where the axe made its connection and breathed harder. Dot was screaming at him with tears flinging every which way. Yakko was pulling the axe from the ground, fully focused on continuing his onslaught. Wakko seemed to have blocked all sound out though. He was breathing too hard and his thoughts were too scattered and ragged.

Dot seemed to have quit trying to get him to respond when she grabbed Wakko's wrist and ran ahead. Wakko's healing body was no longer being handled with care due to the urgency bestowed upon them at the moment.

She bolted out the door just as she spotted Yakko finally having his axe at the ready once again. He shot forward to and swung down again.

The axe struck the door as it was slammed shut again. The hole that had already been made through it for them to get inside was cut even wider. Dot looked to her side with Wakko's arm over her shoulder to see that Dr. Scratchnsniff had rammed it shut the instant he saw Dot leave the room.

"Scratchy-!" Dot began, unsure of what to say or do. She sounded so helpless and the way her legs were shaking told Scratchnsniff that this wasn't the time for him to lose his cool. He needed to remain level-headed for the sake of these children.

Another strike at the door with Yakko's axe made his urgency rise and he immediately began to act. "Dot, take Wakko and rush back to the waiting room. Tell anyone still there to bolt out the door as fast as they can. Do not look back under any circumstances."

"But what if you-?" Dot started before the doctor pushed her, almost roughly, in the specified direction.

"Not under any circumstances! Get your little tushies moving!" He ordered as he heard the door almost completely collapse behind him.

"Sorry Scratchy but you won't be able to do much. Any one of us can handle you on our own." Yakko snarled as he stepped through the demolished entryway.

Dot gasped and made her way out the hallway and back into the waiting room. She knew that it wasn't smart to argue against running away, especially with Wakko's life to worry about aside from her own.

With a quick look around the room she noticed how startled the people who were left looked. Hello Nurse was sitting beside Skippy and she looked to have been recently in the process of consoling him before the noises from the room grabbed their attention. Runt had never been this quiet for such a long period of time. Both he and Rita were standing at attention now despite that because of the sense of impending danger.

Dot took in a ragged breath. The more time she wasted to stop and warn them the less time they had to actually get going. It was situations like this that drove her crazy.

"Run now! Don't ask questions, just get out!" Dot shouted. Searching for words of explanation was too taxing. All they needed to know was that it was time to get moving!

Hello Nurse stood up and patted Skippy's back toward the other broken doorway. Skippy gave her a teary, slightly reluctant look before rushing for it. Rita knew that they weren't in any position to argue or proclaim their intent to help. She jumped on Runt's back and pointed forward. Without a word, Runt did as she instructed and ran out as well.

Dot turned to face Hello Nurse. Before she could speak though, the nurse plucked Wakko from her and held him close to her while motioning for Dot to go ahead of her. Dot was a bit surprised by the action but didn't complain. Scratchnsniff had made it clear that they were all to leave.

She didn't want to leave Yakko behind for some reason. It stunk that her brain knew that if she stayed she'd only be killed. With a sigh and a frightened jump due to hearing something crash from down the hall she had just escaped from, she ran ahead with Hello Nurse behind her.

It was just as dark as it was coming in and the flashes of lightning seemed even more intrusive and unwanted than before.

* * *

Dr. Scratchnsniff had managed to get his hands on the hilt of the axe. Yakko's hands weren't off of it though. He was struggling with the doctor in a way that had them backed out into the waiting room.

"They're getting away! Those imposters are getting away and it's all because of you!" Yakko snarled at the doctor as he struggled with him. Neither of their strengths were being overpowered.

"That was the idea." The doctor retorted, sweating a bit. He knew what he was doing was incredibly dangerous but this was just something he had to do. No one would've been able to make it out of here if the attention wasn't averted to someone who could stall Yakko long enough.

That was starting to become useless though. Yakko was starting to overpower the doctor. His eyes blared right at Dr. Scratchnsniff and the doctor got a chance to look them over. They looked even worse than the time Yakko had rejected him back at the appointment they had set up. The spaces underneath his eyes were purple and there was a flash of red to his pupils that told a story of either excessive eye-strain or sleeplessness. Both of which were most likely brought about by a tremendous amount of stress.

His body had already been acting weird. One minute it would be incredibly sick and tired. The next it would be strong and healthy. Here, it was as if a monster was controlling him.

Scratchnsniff was sweating hard. He was determined to keep Yakko at bay. This determination got him far but not far enough. Yakko eventually shoved into the handle they were grappling for and pushed against his body. The doctor tripped back and fell to the ground rather harshly.

As the pain shot through his system he noticed instantly that Yakko was no longer amist his presence. The second Scratchnsniff had let go of the axe was the second Yakko rushed out the door.

He had failed. Scratchnsniff grabbed at the counter he was pressed against and hauled himself up. He was mildly contemplating how Yakko's strength managed to increase so suddenly, finding the thought that it could even do that fearful in of itself, before stumbling ahead and exiting through the door. He had to keep the priorities straight. Right now, what Yakko was doing with that strength was what mattered and he had to do his best to hurry and stop it.

* * *

It was too damn dark.

Dot ran ahead, often looking behind her to see if Hello Nurse was still chasing after her with Wakko slumped over her shoulder. The only sounds were of the thunder, the rain, their footsteps, and their heavy breathing. It was too hard to see and the long hallway was hard to traverse down with all this stuff in the way.

Dot couldn't make out Skippy, Rita, or Runt ahead of her. She didn't know if that was due to the darkness as well or because they had truly sprinted out of the place as quickly as they could.

She couldn't even pick up on their footsteps if they were running.

Wait. She was picking up on another one all of a sudden. It must mean that they were approaching one of them.

That couldn't be right though. It sounded as if it was coming from behind her.

Dolt felt her heart skip a beat. They were being chased.

Before she could ponder the possibility of it being Scratchy, let alone voice her concern to Hello Nurse, the nurse in question let out a ear splitting scream that got Dot to skid to a stop.

Hello Nurse fell forward and hit the ground, dropping Wakko in the process. Wakko didn't make a noise as he hit the floor aside from a cough and his continued ragged breathing. That's all he had been doing since they had begun running; breathing really, really hard.

Dot was suddenly really anxious and frantic. She looked at the scene before her, wondering what just happened. She saw blood spew across the floor and clamped her mouth shut when she had her eyes follow to where its trail began.

The axe that Yakko had brought with him was laying there. It had been chucked at her from behind and struck her successfully. She was laying on the floor, bleeding out from an unknown part of her body. Dot couldn't see! She hoped it wasn't somewhere vital.

Her vision got even more obstructed when water got in her eyes way. She quickly wiped the tears off her face, grunting in anger. Now wasn't the time. She could still hear footsteps drawing closer. It meant that Yakko was coming for certain. Dot bent down to Hello Nurse and shook her. She let out a bit of a moan before making a gesture in the darkness that Dot couldn't quite place.

The nurse did it again. It was a point forward. She was telling her to keep going.

"B-But you-" Dot began.

"Wakko's in danger and he isn't in a condition to defend himself. Hurry ahead."

That was her firm stance. Dot felt a pang of something sick and awful strike her heart. She wasn't at all okay with doing that… but what else could she do? Dragging her along would ensure that none of them got away…

Dot let out a whimper and grabbed Wakko's arms, hoisting him onto her back. She was actively ignoring all the thoughts telling her that this wasn't what she wanted to do. She put one thought at the forefront and repeated it over and over.

'_I must save Wakko.'_

That was it. She repeated it in her head over and over, forcing it to overlap all the other thoughts about how she couldn't leave the nurse behind and how immoral and horrible this all was.

She ran forward and ran as fast as she could too.

There was a section of brief silence ahead.

That lasted all but a single minute as she heard the footsteps pick up behind her again. Yakko hadn't taken long to catch up. It doesn't take long to swing an axe at an already downed and bleeding nurse. She knew that and prayed that he had simply walked by her presence. Even if she managed to save Wakko, she doubted she could live with that.

The footsteps picked up. He seemed to be going faster somehow.

Dot began to panic. Wakko was breathing hard on her back. His eyes were open and he was aware of what was happening but he wasn't reacting to any of it. His breathing just kept going faster and faster.

Dot had finally put it together, noticing Wakko's demeanor. He was hypervenalating. He was panicked and he wasn't able to compose himself in the slightest. Dot thought back to how close he was to being split in half by his own older brother.

The interval of time he had managed to live by was probably less than a second.

"Get back here, _dear_ sister sib!"

Dot lurched forward in shock. She could hear his voice now. This wasn't good. Where was she going? Was this even the right way? She remembered it being a seemingly long hallway toward the main waiting room. How could she have made a wrong turn if there were no real turns to make? Did she go down the wrong hallway? Why was she still running?!

She passed a table with a vase on it.

She remembered that vase. It was close toward the entrance. Not close enough, but close. She was almost there. Carrying Wakko was undoubtedly what was making the trip that much slower but she was too scared to consider it. That and the fact that Yakko wasn't carrying anything aside from an axe that he had a pretty good handle over made the gap between them close so much faster than she would've liked.

"There's the door." Dot mouthed as she came up on it. There it was, cracked open with the light of the flashes of lightning and the droplets of water that the storm winds had blown in through the obstruction. She got more anxious the closer she got though. Each step made her reel with an angry thought that said that getting closer to it wasn't enough. She wanted the next step to be the step that got her there. Just a few more steps!

**Crack!**

Dot felt her vision float and blur a bit.

Shards of the vase, that she could've sworn that she had just passed by, pierced into her head and splayed all over the place. Yakko had managed to toss it into her. The force of the throw had sent her more than off balance. She plummeted to the ground, letting Wakko fling from off her back and roll into the next room over.

The footsteps were getting louder and louder now. Dot's consciousness was growing fainter and fainter.

That throw had hurt and the devastation was instant. There was nothing she could do to stop the throbbing. Yakko wasn't in any pain. He hadn't stopped completely like her. He could still do things…

Yakko's footsteps grew louder and vi-passed her downed body. His first and central target was definitely Wakko.

Dot loomed her head up, determined to at least see what was going on. She caught a glimpse of Yakko running into the room she saw Wakko roll into when she fell but that was it. With a teary eyed moan, she lowered her increasingly pained head and tried for crawling forward. How one hit could do this to her baffled and shamed her greatly.

* * *

Wakko, who hadn't said a word the whole way through, merely gasped when a sudden jolt sent him to the floor and tumbling into another room.

His mind was all over the place. He was in a tremendous panic. The thunder that clapped outside made him nearly ram up into the ceiling even. All he was really thinking about at the forefront of his brain was how unbelievable this was and how this had to be the scariest nightmare he had ever had.

"Y-Yakko. B-Big brother. Brother. Wants to kill me. Almost killed me. Axe. Bloody axe! H-Head chopped off and d-dead… he was dead!" Wakko, finally finding words to speak, spoke in disjointed phrases as his breathing got worst. He was clutching at his heart. It was beating way to hard and fast. It was quite cold in here and despite that, his sweat was all over his body.

Wakko stumbled toward the edge of the room. There were a lot of weird machines around. X-Rays and scanners they seemed to be. Who cares where he was? The crux of this place was basically the exact opposite of a hospital. It was a hell house. He was in Hell!

The door rammed open just as Wakko stumbled into one of the unidentifiable machines in a panicked daze. Wakko's gaze shifted up and his eyes met those of his crazed older brother.

Wakko and Yakko were staring at each other. Both of them were shaking but for different reasons. One was paralyzed with fear. The other was strife with anger and intensity.

"Wakko… you really sent me over the edge here. If anything, I need to make sure you go first. The loss of my beloved brother from before makes my heart go numb. Looking at an imposter like you makes me physically sick." He strutted closer to Wakko. It wasn't a slow walk. He was moving quickly.

Wakko's body came to life and had him scooting back. This demon… this thing… whatever it was, wasn't his brother. Both of them were thinking similar things. _Whatever was in front of me, wasn't my brother._

Still, Wakko tried to reason with it. It was partly because he was scared. It was also because he desperately wanted his real brother to come back.

"Yakko… wha-whatever's wrong… I'm sorry. I-I was wrong before… b-back when I was acting out and going against you. It… It wasn't right. I'll do whatever you want me to do this time. Just please, go back to normal." Wakko whimpers and tears were glaring and continuous. He didn't bother hiding it. He knew that his real big brother would rush to help this image of him if he was still in there. It's not like he was doing it on purpose. He couldn't help crying and blubbering. Who could?

"Didn't you hear me back there? Didn't you listen to a word I said!? Huh?!" Yakko shouted.

Wakko flinched as he backed into a random machine. He looked up at Yakko and stuttered for a response.

"Well _did _you?! Huh?!" Yakko shouted even louder, making Wakko wince. His knees were knocking.

"Y-Y-Yessss…" Wakko managed to get out.

"Than what makes you think I'd accept that apology? If anything I'm even more mad that you said sorry. This is what needs to be done to ensure a better future. My little brother was afraid of that future because of the situation we were in. Now that I've warmed up to that wonderful idea he initiated to help fix it, he'd be overjoyed to help me." Yakko explained, raising his axe.

"I…I… " Wakko was scrambling for something, anything to say.

"So why wouldn't you be with me, Wakko? The only answer that makes any sense, is that you're no longer my brother!" Yakko gripped the axe tighter. Wakko's eyes widened as it dripped with now fresh blood on the tip.

"N-no… no… please… " Wakko couldn't help flashing back. Remembering his good times with Yakko struck his heart hard enough to almost kill him emotionally. Sitting on the couch and playing video games. Throwing a tantrum when he lost. Getting a playful noogie from Yakko when he won. Finding new special friends to tease and play with. Getting new Don Knots videos from him every Christmas and new pairs of pants and underwear to ultimately fawn over but not actually wear from him every birthday.

It was fun. That was Yakko. He was fun. He was always kind, caring, considerate, and smart. He was a role model. He was someone Wakko had always looked up to. It always crushed him whenever that rare event happened to get Yakko sad or angry before this.

And then Wakko turned into that very thing. He was the one who ended up making Yakko sad and angry all the time. He regretted it so much now. He loved Yakko. He wanted this monster to go away and give him back.

The axe lowered.

"You're out of here!" Yakko all but screamed.

"NOOOOO!" Wakko screamed back in a panic, grabbing the nearest thing closest to him and whacking Yakko with it. He didn't look where he hit him. He didn't care. He just wanted out of this nightmare!

Yakko was hit successfully at the side of his face. It was enough to get him to let the axe go and drop into the machine behind Wakko. It cut through rather easily thanks to the already applied force. Sparks flew and set right off. A small fire ignited.

Wakko hit the ground when the event passed. He was clutching his chest and breathing erratically. He was having a panic attack and wasn't holding up well at all. His body had already been tortured to submission before this and he wasn't fully recovered. He was a mess.

Yakko had hit the ground and slid back a small ways. There was blood on the end of the item Wakko had struck him with. Turns out it was a metal bar that hooked up to a hospital curtain. It had been dislodged earlier due to unknown circumstances and left here.

Looking over, Wakko saw his downed older brother. Wakko, in his panic, had managed to strike Yakko with a blunt object. He was down and from what he could tell, bleeding out the side of his head.

Wakko stared right at him. He didn't, absolutely could not, acknowledge the forming blaze behind him. This scene in front of him was too damaging. It was too crippling to his very core.

He had just struck Yakko with a blunt object. He'd made him bleed. That's the kind of thing he had been trying to tell Yakko that he didn't want to see happening anymore. It wasn't occurring to Wakko that it was done in self-defense. He didn't think about how obvious it was that he would've died had he not done that.

As he got closer to Yakko, all he could think about was how unfair this all was. He desperately wanted to know why this had to happen. He wanted someone to give him an answer.

A mini explosion on the busted machine behind them sent sparks flying and made the fire rise higher. It spread to the floor and rushed across the ground and to the sides, feeding on the air and growing stronger and stronger due to its unattended nature.

The wooden hilt from the axe Yakko had was ablaze and the blood on the tip instantly dried.

Wakko was now holding his brother's head up in one hand over his lap, crying onto his face as he bled.

"What did I do? Yakko, please wake up! Go back to normal… please…" He sniffled and pulled him closer to his body for a hug. "… I meant it when I said that I'll always love you… we can even move past this but…"

Yakko's eyes fluttered. Wakko noticed a stir and had Yakko pulled away from him to look straight at him instantly. "Yakko?"

"…Wakko…?" The response from his big brother came in the same voice it always had, only much calmer and warmer.

"Y-You… you're…?" Wakko stammered, trying to think of something to say.

"Leave me here and run away." Yakko choked out, letting himself lie over Wakko's lap. His head was throbbing in pain but he knew exactly what had happened and what he had tried to do.

"What? C-Come on Yakko. Me hitting you didn't turn you into an idiot right?" Wakko spoke back to him, confidence in his words building. That was something the Yakko he had almost died from speaking with wouldn't have said. Still, it was just as blasphemous as anything else. There was no way he'd expect his own little brother to leave him behild.

The fire was rising higher and getting caught on the linen and the carpet surrounding the area. Wakko shifted his gaze to the side when the roar of the flames reached his ears finally. He was already panicked and sweaty. He really didn't need this.

Wakko grumbled and tried to hoist Yakko over his shoulder to drag him out. The problem was that Wakko had to be carried all the way here and back due to his already tired out and unstable health. Having to carry Yakko out of the room and out the door before the fire reached them was an impossible dream.

Yakko's body slumped against Wakko's. His eyes were dim and his intense feeling of sickness had come back to him. With his urge to kill also went his strength stamina. Yakko's eyes had already been bloodshot but now they were tearing up. He wouldn't stop shaking. He was panting incredibly hard. Wakko thought it was due to how the room was filling with smoke. In reality, it was because Yakko had reverted back to his ever depleting kind state.

Yakko knew how this deal worked now. This "curse" was dead set on making him embrace his dark half. His good side was barely there anymore. The only reason it was even here right now was because Wakko had knocked him silly just than. Yakko whimpered and caught Wakko's attention.

"Y-Yakko? D-Don't worry. I'll… save us both! I promise!" Wakko grunted. After all this time he had only managed about three steps before he had to stop and rest on his knees. The fire had surrounded them completely by now and had reached the door.

Yakko shook his head. He knew the part of him that he wanted to keep showing to Wakko was going away and it was becoming more and more permanent the more he gave into it. He knew there'd be no way for him to get lucky after this. Yakko coughed rather hard, sputtering up blood and letting it drip onto the floor in front of him.

"Yakko! Are you okay?" Wakko continued to express concern for his older brother. Yakko just chuckled to himself. This was truly a marvel.

"Even after I tried to kill you just now… you still say you love me. You're still trying to help me make it out despite it meaning you won't be able to escape." Yakko stammered and faced Wakko. His reddened eyes were teary. When Wakko saw them like that, his heart sank.

"O-Of course I am. I would never leave you behind. I know that the only reason you're doing this is because… you've got some kind of mental condition a-and you need help. I'll make sure you get help Yakko." Wakko sounded rather determined. It made Yakko smile. It was a sad smile.

"No. This… this isn't a mental condition. It's a curse… and it doesn't make me evil or put feelings in me that weren't already there." Yakko reluctantly began explaining.

Wakko looked confused and felt himself shiver again. "What are you talking about?"

Yakko's smile got a tad brighter despite the overlay of sadness to his tone. "… All the things I said and did… are just extensions of the side of me that's dark and evil. I'm not being mind controlled. I have no mental condition. It's just too conflicting sides of my heart and brain going at it and the good side is losing out. Badly."

Wakko stared down at him in awe for a second before shaking his head, letting tears hit his brother's face. "The good in you outshines the bad. It always does and it always will. I don't believe that nonsense."

"No sane person would. But we're insane remember?" Yakko grinned with his eyes closed this time, tears rolling down his face. Wakko just looked at him. He couldn't find a response to that.

Eventually Wakko began to cough and hack himself. The doorway was engulfed in flames by now. The two of them were trapped inside. Neither of them had the stamina to leave normally. With all this smoke and fire making things worse it was damn near impossible to contemplate them making it out of this.

It took a while but that sinking feeling was settling in. They were both too weak to move on. Wakko collapsed and Yakko followed suit. They were on the floor, face to face with each other, panting hard.

"… Regardless if I made it out of here or not… the fact that the me you know and love is getting to talk to you right now is a fluke… thanks for cracking me upside the head. It never felt so good being beaten up by my little bro." Yakko laughed.

Wakko smiled. Tears were streaming down both their faces as the fire surrounded them. "It was no problem. I wish I could say it was my pleasure…"

Yakko let out a light chuckle before coughing again. "Despite how hard my dwindling good side may have been trying… I couldn't get back to you. Even when I was about to kill you those both times, I just couldn't get through." He hated admitting that.

Wakko's face became unreadable for that instant.

"You must be so ashamed of me. I'm such a hypocrite. Scolding you about all that stuff before when deep down I was willing to give into an even stronger urge to do it myself. You can't fail even harder at being the older bro than that." Yakko said, reaching over to touch Wakko's cheek.

Wakko looked to the side. Yakko kept smiling. It wasn't a big grin this time but a calm, simple smile.

"You're amazing Wakko. Really, you are. After all that nonsense, all that troubling uncertainty, all that torture, and all that fear… you still find the time to express care for people other than yourself. I envy that so much about you. You're the best brother anyone could ever ask for. Even the bad part of me agrees, which is why it was so upset when it determined that you weren't the real him. B-But I know, that you're him. You'll always be Wakko…" Yakko mused.

Wakko was blubbering and crying silently to himself, trying to keep a forced smile on his face.

"… Me… I think I may be going away forever… one way or another…" Yakko said, finally stopping to rest his eyes.

Wakko didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arms around Yakko on the floor and pulled him close.

"You'll never be far away from us Yakko. I'll make sure of it."


	12. How the World Works

_Sorry for the long wait guys. Work kind of crept up on me but I feel fine now. Time to continue forth._

**_Chapter 12: How the World Works_**

"This rain is ridiculous. If there wasn't a damper on my mood before it started there sure as hell is now." Plotz grumbled to himself, standing by the open doorway and looking out into the empty lot. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt or what exactly he was feeling. The acts of violence that had been taking place recently were making headlines for being consistent with how close to the Studio they were. People were eventually going to see this place as some sort of makeshift home-base for the freaking Grim Reaper.

Mindy was sitting in a chair behind him with Buttons sitting by the side. She was frowning rather deeply. Buttons was eyeing up at her with genuine concern. This poor girl was already living a very odd life for someone so young. Being shown on nationwide television under the pressure of Hollywood producers and directors all for the sake of making a check that her mom was going to cash in for herself didn't sound very fair.

She rolled with it though. She was always smiling and happy and even though she was oblivious to what exactly was going on, she was feeling it's effects, and yet still giggled her whole way through the show.

Now she was stuck on this lot due to an offhanded connection she had concerning the murder of three people. That was just…

Buttons didn't have much more time to think though. He was feeling a sense of dread coming on for some reason. He sometimes wished his species wasn't so good at sensing impending danger. Only sometimes though, as tight situations and fast feet are necessary for survival. As he looked out the window, he instantly recognized why it had come and what was wrong.

Plotz was still starring out at the rain, wondering just what exactly he was going to do about all this. Ralph was in the back room, trying to clean up the clutter around his main office room. His guard was close by yet he didn't feel safe at all. Not the least bit so.

The offset that he dreaded came through quicker than expected though when Buttons nudged his nose against his pants leg, trying to grab his attention.

"What is it dog? If you're hungry there's probably a squirrel out there in the rain somewhere. Just make sure to clean up when you're done-" The stout man began before Buttons gritted his teeth and stepped on his foot. Plotz jolted upward a bit and hopped on one foot about to set it down and kick the mutt with the other when he noticed he was pointing with his paw.

Plotz grimaced and faced the pin-pointed direction. Gradually and quickly his face shifted from angry to spastic. More bad stuff was happening around his lot, and this curse on his legacy just wouldn't go away.

There was smoke rising from over the horizon. It was raining though which meant that this wasn't a messily camp fire someone had set up in the small patch of trees on the trail leading to the hospital. It must've been quite the roaring blaze. What could that mean? Imagining the worst possible scenario seemed to clue him in rather quickly. His reaction was just as fast.

"RALPH!"

The guard heard the shout from where he slouched, wiping off the grime from under Thaddeus' desk and banged his forehead on the top in surprise when he name was bellowed.

"Stop whatever it is you're doing back there and come along with me!" Plotz screamed again, already dialing his cell-phone. "You two. You're with me." He said turning toward Mindy and Buttons, getting their attention as he turned to leave while the other end of the call came through. He couldn't leave those two alone. After all that's happened, he'd be in an incredibly bad position should something happen to them.

"Hello. This is Thaddeus Plotz… yes I know it's rather soon but I need a fire department… thank you! A-And just in case, I may need additional assistance from the police…" Plotz was already walking down his front building's steps and headed toward the direction of the hospital. Without the structures in the way, he was able to make out more clearly the rising intensity of the blaze overhead. He knew that whatever happened was definitely at that hospital. With his luck, there was no doubt. With a murderer on the lose, additional police assistance would help put an end to these homicidal acts being committed on his grounds.

Still, thinking all of this at once still didn't prepare him for the answer he got on the other end. It made him reel back a bit in surprise.

"Wha-? You say Detective Shorenay already has a police squadron on the way? … An overheard conversation with one of the doctors? Why wasn't I info-" He was about to lambast the lady on the other end before she finished her statement, which made his heart pump faster. He didn't even notice Ralph, Mindy, and Buttons following along behind him as they headed out.

"You say they know who the killer is…?"

* * *

The Goodfeathers were perched on the front gate of the Warner Brother's lot. For some reason, the rain wasn't bothering them here.

"Sheesh. What a weird vibe we got from Yakko." Squit spoke up all of a sudden.

"Yeah. He's got some demons, I'll tell ya that." Bobby responded staring straight out ahead.

"If he wants to go out on a sour note with us than fine. The only reason we're stuck here is because of this stupid investigation. And even if that wasn't the case, we still haven't gotten our last pay check because of it." Pesto grumbled.

"Hey. Stay coo. We'll get-" Bobby stopped. He saw sirens. Police sirens were outside of the gate. Flashing red and blue lights; yeah, those were definitely police sirens.

"Oh great. This must mean that they finally figured out who to pin this mess on. We'll be outta here in no time." Pesto grinned.

"… I don't… think so. Something tells me we're gonna be in quite the jam after whatever this is blows over…" Bobby said aloud.

"Why you gotta be so negative?" Pesto retorted. Bobby shot back.

"Cause I'm smarter than you."

* * *

It took a while but they made it. By the time Plotz and his group had made it to the hospital, part of the forest was on fire as well. That was insane.

"What in the name of Stephen's fat wallet happened here?!" Plotz shouted and ran forward, catching a glimpse of a few familiar faces, stumbling toward him.

Skippy Squirrel and the broadway pair, Rita and Runt were wobbling straight at him, coughing and wheezing as they moved ahead. They seemed extremely tired out. The hospital was big but they should've had enough time to escape it before the fire got that big, correct?

"You three! What happened?!" Plotz scrambled up to them as Skippy fell to his knees with tears in his eyes.

"We… we got lost on the way out… I was too scared and I ended up making a few turns when I shouldn't have… and b-by the time we got out the place was burning up…" Skippy tried explaining with his watery eyes closed.

"We… " Rita began but stopped to let out a cough. "… ended up leaving the Warners, your P-Sychiatrist, and the nurse behind. I don't know if they're still alive."

Plotz began sweating hard again. "W-Well… I called the fire department… a-and they're close by so it really shouldn't be a problem for them to get here but… " He fiddled with his fingers. Would that be enough time. This was a movie studio lot where accidents tended to happen often enough. The fire department was assuredly rather close for that very reason but it all depends on how long this fire's been brewing or where they were when the fire started to engulf them.

"Okay… someone's got to go in and make sure they're okay." Plotz spoke up again, already shaking. "Erm… R-Ralph?"

Ralph frowned a bit, looking hesitant himself before facing the building. Realistically, what was he going to be expected to do? Plotz honestly wouldn't hold it against the man if he refused.

The surrounding onlookers felt their hearts jump when the guard took his steps forward to give it a shot. Of course, something like this, you succeeded at or you flat out failed.

It seems fortune was somewhat kind to them here as it turns out. The door was burst open right as Ralph put his foot on the first step. They all gasped and starred ahead at the escapees.

Dr. Scratchnsniff was holding Hello Nurse in his arms. She was bleeding out her leg. It was gushing actually. It didn't look pretty at all.

By their side was a soot ridden Dot Warner, who was wobbling while standing still. She didn't look good either.

"Scratchnsniff! Ms. Nurse! What happened? What's going on?" Plotz sounded shaky and frantic.

Scratchnsniff grimaced and stepped down toward Plotz. "This hospital is no good. We need an ambulance."

"I can SEE that it's no good! How'd it GET that way?" Plotz couldn't control how intense his voice was here. Mindy was clutching Buttons in the background. More blood. More things a kid her age shouldn't be exposed to.

Dot suddenly looked up and stared out ahead into the rain. The sirens and oncoming people from way behind them wasn't noticeable to any of them, much less her.

"They're not here." She mouthed silently. Dr. Scratchnsniff turned to face her direction when she spoke but jolted in surprise when he saw her turn back around and run right into the burning building again!

"H-Hey! Dot! Come back out this instant ya!" He set Hello Nurse down quicker than he wanted to and ran toward the enterance but shrunk back when a roaring blaze hindered his progress. Dot managed to slip through due to her size and pure luck. That luck wouldn't last the longer she remained inside though.

* * *

Cough! COUGH! Hack! COUGH!

Dot wandered through the place, instantly disoriented and confused. Dr. Scratchnsniff had found Hello Nurse and her on the ground and led them to the exit. The flames were already getting to her then and she didn't have much time out in the open air before she rushed back in.

However, she didn't have time. The longer her siblings remained inside the worse off they were. The smoke would suffocate them before the fire charred their bodies beyond a reasonable doubt.

She couldn't tell where she was all that well judging by how different this place looked shrouded in flowing red and orange but after squinting her eyes and focusing hard on keeping her brain active and unaffected by the smoke she leered down the pathway she saw Yakko head in. She coughed a bit harder and headed there, remembering how she dropped Wakko and saw him roll his way into the next room. This had to be the right place.

It had to be. If it wasn't, she was going to probably die. There was no way she was going to leave without the two of them at her side.

With a hefty shove, she pushed the door open that had been blocked by the broken plaster from the ceiling. She let out a much more straining cough than the ones she did before when the heat from the room struck her face. She struggled to keep her now teary eyes open as she stepped forward.

The clutter in her way wasn't much. That was good considering what she found when she removed one particularly large piece of plaster.

She gasped and started to choke because of it. She couldn't help that though. They were right here.

Wakko and Yakko were huddled together in a hug on the floor. They were unconscious and had very tiny particles of dried tears below their eyes. In a fire this intense, that she could tell they had been crying at all was astounding.

She only had seconds to marvel at their forms before she bent down and hoisted them both over her shoulders. They were completely limp. She couldn't even tell if they were alive. Her heart was beating too fast and her breathing was too erratic for her to even attempt at making sure they were. They'd be dead anyway should they stay around here.

She was the youngest of the group and having to haul her two older brothers through a dangerous sea of fire wasn't an assurance that she'd reach safety at all. There was a chance that they'd catch fire on the side because of the inability to keep watch on whether or not the fire reached them. Her eyes were struggling to stay open enough for her to see if the fire would latch onto her own body.

When she made it through the door though, something clicked in her body when she saw the intense towers of fire in front of her. She was sweating and coughing and struggling to stay on her feet. The fact that she would've collapsed by now if she was by herself put emphasis on how much of a miracle it was she was pushing through with both her heavy brothers hunched onto her body.

That didn't matter though. Her drive had increased. She knew where the door was and she saw a clear path to the still open yet slightly blocked opening that led to the outside. There was no way she was getting through this without getting burnt in some way. Carefully maneuvering her way through this so that she couldn't get hit with it would only hinder her progress and give the fire enough time to block her way some more. They were getting out of here now!

Dot already felt the fire crawling up her leg as she stood contemplating this. There was no more time. She clutched her arms tightly around her brothers and stared ahead in determination, doing her best to ignore how singed her dress was getting and how her fur was catching the embers too. She rushed straight forward and barreled through the danger in a straight line!

"Guh! GAAAAH!" Dot let out a few extended screams. She almost went down onto her knees at one point but shifted her weight back upward and tripped over the debris that had fallen in the door's way before falling through a small wall of fire that landed her outside the hospital, down the small steps, and into the mud.

Dr. Scratchnsniff had doused himself in a puddle of the rain water before heading toward the enterance to see if he could somehow fight his way through and bring Dot back before she came crashing through. The small plumes of flame on her and her brothers were extinguished quickly. Dot was panting extraordinarily hard before she looked up at the doctor with a small smile.

"Haha. Made it."

Dr. Scratchnsniff smiled slightly before sighing and bending down to help her up. "I apologize but… you're not out of the fire just yet…"

Dot was confused by his words before she shifted her hazy gaze at what she saw in front of them. Mindy, Buttons, Rita, Runt, Plotz, and Ralph had been all but pushed to the side by the squad of officers that had seemingly lined up in front of the hospital in preparation for their hypothetical reemergence.

Hello Nurse was being loaded into the ambulance that had accompanied the police and the fire fighters were on their way, not at all far behind. Dot knew she had heard them coming close before she went inside the building but the fact that they had all made it here so quickly in such a short time confused her. They must've already been on their way. But how could they have known that something that would warrant the police and an ambulance was over the horizon?

Dot centered her look onto the man standing in the center. He was Detective Shorenay. He stood there with a sneer and a walkie-talkie in his hand before approaching the Warners and the p-sychiatrist as he laid out Wakko and Yakko to inspect them for burns.

"I knew it. It seems my intelligence tactics were correct in their execution eh Dr. Scratchnsniff?" Shorenay almost had to hold back a bit of a laugh.

The doctor couldn't help taking his gaze away from the unconscious and barely alive children to shoot the detective a disapproving growl of disgust.

"What tactic was that?" He asked unprepared for what was about to happen next.

The detective didn't answer right away. Instead he reached down and grabbed Yakko harshly by one of his arms and hoisted him up.

"Careful how you handle him!" Scratchnsiff shouted.

"Let go of Yakko!" Dot snapped. She knew he was a detective but the way he was holding Yakko was un-subtly disrespectful as well as harmful.

"You know it too don't you? That this kid is the murderer that we've all been looking for." Shorenay announced out-loud to all the onlookers. To the police officers standing at attention but a growing look of genuine surprise. To Mindy and Buttons who co-stared with the funny Warner siblings. To Rita and Runt who had witnessed first-hand Yakko's crazed and uncontrollable state of insanity. To Skippy Squirrel who was convinced that he was trapped in some kind of nightmare where his friends were changing and suffering accordingly.

To Dot who was struggling to stand up and clock Shorenay in the nose for being so insensitive and tactless!

"Yakko… Yakko is sick… not just physically but he's not well in the head a-" Dot struggled before Shorenay grimaced and stamped his foot into the mud, making it splash into Dot's face.

"This investigation has unveiled many a result in what the psyche behind the actions of this criminal was. The deaths of those three teenagers hinged on the kidnapping and torture of his little brother. The blond child and her dog came across him in the dumpster at a specific time where it could be reasonably calculated from the time of his capture to the time of his release and to the time of their deaths. You three have been under constant financial troubles that this older brother of yours has been trying to fix and allude the consequences of all his own ever since your main series' cancellation. Because of that, Thaddeus Plotz was attacked." Shorenay spoke while tightening his grip on Yakko's arm.

Plotz blinked, frozen by that declaration. This man was saying that it was Yakko who had come at him with that axe?! Really?!

"There are CLEAR motivations behind those actions. Revenge for the lack of money and revenge for the plight his younger brother suffered through are the common items to focus on here. And the confirmation I got from the doctor today closed the case when the young boy came into the room himself and killed the man while the talkie was still active. I heard his voice. I heard the squelching of blood onto the surface of the marble floor as the weapon was driven into his now charred body. I heard it all and can tell you all up front, he was enjoying what he was doing quite a lot."

Dot's head was in the palm of her hands. She wanted to shoot back with an explanation. There was a reasoning behind all that. She didn't know exactly what it was but she knew that there was something about Yakko that wasn't… of this world.

Realistically though, how could she expect this man to believe that? How could she expect anyone to? How could she even convince herself of it if she had nothing to go on in that sense?

All she had was her love and assurance of knowing who Yakko actually was to go on. Unfortunately though, statements like that didn't fly in the face of the law.

"You set up a communication between that doctor on purpose…" Dr. Scratchnsniff rose to meet Shorenay face to face. "Setting that up would've yielded no help for you unless that man faced Yakko and because of that he was sure to die. You knew he was in danger and yet still went ahead with the idea?"

"All for the greater good my friend." Shorenay had no quams with admitting to his scheme in the slightest.

"You're completely twisted yourself no?" Scratchnsniff grabbed at Shorenay's collar. The detective wasn't intimidated.

"What happened to the doctor wasn't set up by me. I simply used my knowledge of the situation to make it so that someone I had suspected of being a killer was flushed out. Not unlike that tactic of getting the hospital to release Wakko early." Shorenay explained. Dot's eyes shot wide open.

"… Y-You? You're the reason they threw Wakko out?! H-How could you! Wakko needed medical attention and still does! He-" Dot was frantic and angry.

"Calm yourself little lady. He'll get his medical attention." Shorenay said holding his hand up and beckoning the remaining ambulance caretakers to come over and gather up Wakko and Dot. Dot struggled from being taken away by them when they tried to pull her into the vehicle.

"You tricked Yakko into going after someone innocent when it was you! You're a monster!" Dot growled and struggled to attack him. The caretakers were surprised by how much trouble they were having pulling her along despite how injured and tired she was.

She submitted instantly when Shorenay responded. He didn't even look at her when he uttered his cold reply.

"Ah, confirmation from the younger sister that he is indeed the murderer. What a nice clinch. We're done here boys. Case Closed."

Dot felt her body turn to rubber when those words reached her ears. She was pulled into the ambulance with zero effort by them because of it.

The way of this world was deceptively harsh. Dot stared ahead with tears building into her eyes as she saw them cuff her unconscious older brother and all but throw him into the back seat of the police car. It wasn't even a separate ambulance.

Scratchnsniff pressed his hand to his face. Yakko wasn't going to get any leeway because he was a kid. It wouldn't work like that for an exceptionally crazy toon like him.

Plotz stood his ground, pouting a tiny bit and watching as the main cop car started to drive off with Yakko in tow while the others stayed for the slew of questions and final statements that were sure to be coming next. Was he feeling guilt? Why? There was nothing he could do about their situation.

"Congratulations. This is the darkest sketch in television history. Darkest sketch, darkest sketch…" Plotz found himself unenthusiastically reciting a line he had heard from a show produced by Seth Green. He stopped rather quickly when he realized that it was just making him feel worse.

Skippy was curled up in a ball on the mud, shaking and shivering, calling out silently for his Aunt Slappy. He couldn't focus on where he was or what was happening anymore. The rain was pouring and cold. The fire was loud and hot. The fire fighters were rushing onto the scene and their steps sounded like mini Godzilla feet sloshing through the mud to him.

Buttons made a play of getting Mindy settled next to a police car. His thoughts were all over the place. The last thing on his or anyone's mind was how soaked they were getting, just standing there, thinking about all this out in the pouring rain.

Outside the Warner Brothers gate, a lone figure stood among the blaring sirens and the confused onlookers.

"You know… despite all this chaos, being here again doesn't feel any different from when I was here before…"

* * *

It was closed.

The Studio was closed currently with the residents of the investigation still trapped inside due to technicalities that Plotz had to follow before he could let them leave. He couldn't let them go home. He couldn't have anyone go to work. He couldn't even have anyone off-handedly work on their own projects without pay if they really wanted to.

The amount of money he was losing from all this and the disapproving comments he's been faxed from the higher ups were grating on his nerves. He couldn't help but feel the stress weigh down on him.

The news day that came that night of Yakko's arrest. The blow up that resulted from the day after. All of it was damaging in some way to the studio. If any tourists came these past few days it wasn't at all in favor of the way things were going.

A few of the people in the Warner Brothers crowd itself were making statements on television about this whole thing.

"_Like me and Scoob had this panel at a convention when the TVs just started lettin' loose with the news man." _Shaggy Rodgers of the Mystery Inc. Gang spoke to a news-reporter the day after the arrest.

"_Reah! He was rust a rid! Rit ras hard to berieve."_ Scooby spoke next to Shaggy, looking rather down cast.

Some truly didn't know what to think.

"_It only takes so much to drive someone over the deep end. Hmm... I'm wondering where I'll end up should this new project I'm working on not take off. Intense man."_ Freakazoid paced back and forth like a spaz in front of the camera during his statement.

Some were more angry about the situation at hand than others.

"_I stopped by the Warner Brother's lot about a day before the fire happened and they wouldn't let me in! I'll have them know that without me, half of their assets wouldn't even exist! Who pitched to them the original draft of Space Jam? Foghorn did! AFTER, he said he brewed the idea from when I fell off the roof and into a trash-can. It was a mental transfer of an ingenious idea from me to him that I so selflessly refused to take credit for until today! I never once thought that Warner Brothers would resort to treating their stars like trash over this nonsense!" _Daffy Duck was rather loud and pushy about his statements to the point where the reporter was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"_Eh. It seems Daffy more blames the studio than the Warners themselves. As for me, all I can really say on the issue is that if the situation they were in truly led to Yakko Warner committing all those crimes than my heart goes out to him and his family of three. Too often have I been in this biz and seen toons fall from grace because of cancellation, whether the show was successful or not. Seldom does the star get to move on to something bigger and better outside of cameos for someone else's next big fling. That goes for any studio. I remember the headlines after Bonkers was cancelled. Didn't favor the show myself but what the poor guy put himself through before his even more permanent everlasting "departure" I hated even worse. Dat's all I really gotta say. I don't feel like going into this again."_ Bugs Bunny said, waving the camera off and walking away as Daffy rambled on in the background.

All the toon stars had pretty much the same consensus despite having separate things to say. What was happening was only another development on what they had already seen before. What made this case special though was that Yakko… was indeed just a kid.

The fact that he was so young let loose an intense air of unease among the crowd of television viewers to the point where, when they saw a child star on screen, some couldn't help think that no matter how successful they were now, they were destined for something sad and horrible later on.

Replay value doesn't exist often when it comes to toons. Video Game stars like Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman, Mario, and Luigi have it made. The same extends to icons like Mickey and Bugs. Of course, you can only get into this business expecting it to be what your life demands of you. Almost every toon is born with that innate feeling of wanting to be on T.V. They want to go through the motions of what it is at least once in their life and almost all of them manage to make it happen in some way.

When the spot-light is turned away from them, some of them manage to cope with it and realize that they're time in the sun is over. They go out and get other jobs and build up on them in the hopes that they can remain happy. Some of them succeed.

However, those looking to continuously star in movies and shows simply aren't able too. Everyone would just write it off as pathetic and pandering to a crowd that need not be heeded. What's Fievel from American Tail doing in the newest Tim Burton flick? They can't act as a separate alias like some people can. They are who they are on the shows and the movies. That's always been how it worked and no matter who you called yourself in your newest project, no one would ever be able to see you as anyone different.

There's a variation to every case. Slappy Squirrel lived a glorious life. Being able to star in her own series of toons and being called in for a unique slot on Animaniacs with the gimmick of being a toon veteran was pure genius. She's been in the game her whole life, something that's almost unheard of.

The worst cases were when a toon's new show didn't even last a few episodes. They couldn't start over and hope to try again with something better. Their image was already out there as something that failed. Cases like those usually ended in suicides.

Staring at the front gate of the gravely empty Warner Brothers studio lot today were two toons with special cases of their own. Wakko and Dot Warner had finally made it back.

Their burns had been treated and their bodies had been rested. They were given a free ride back as they had no money to bring themselves home. It wouldn't matter anyway. With Yakko gone and no way of knowing how to acquire money like he did, their time left in that Water Tower was short. They'd be on the street any day now. Their clock was ticking down and they didn't know anyone who had the money or resources to take them in aside from Plotz. And even that wouldn't have been possible considering how he was contractually obligated not to house any of the stars. The situation with them living in the tower was stretching the rules enough as it is.

The two of them had a few bandages on their arms but otherwise, they were fine. Wakko hadn't gotten any new injuries or sustained after-effects from the fire aside from a few light burns and disturbed lungs. With the care for that out of the way, all that was left was his rehabilitation from the pain he suffered from the group that kidnapped him. Most of him was pretty much back to normal but he was still feeling a little fragile. He planned on getting a good amount of rest once he got in. He wanted this full recovery to be over and done with so he could focus solely on the emotional damage he was going through now.

Dot had gone and added injuries to herself outside of the ones she suffered just running away from Yakko. The result from the vase crashing at the back of her head was something that needed taking care of. The strain on her body from carrying both her older brothers to safety while she could barely breath needed attention as well. This was all on top of the burns she sustained of course. Still, that was over and done with for her. Like Wakko, she just wanted to find someplace to wallow in sadness.

The two of them just stared up at the WB logo on the front of the gate, not pushing it open, not giving an inch until Wakko sighed and turned toward Dot. He was the de-facto leader with Yakko gone.

"We should head inside. It's kind of cold out here." Wakko spoke solemnly. The sun wasn't out. Ever since the night of the fire they haven't even seen it. Nothing but really cloudy skies and cold winds were upon them since. It's as if nature was making fun of them.

Dot didn't give him a verbal response. She just used the key she had to open the lock and push the gate open. The only reason they had been allowed outside of the place was due to the hospital inside the place having been burnt to the ground. From here on in, it was seclusion from the world until everything gets officially sorted out.

The two of them walked inside. The lot looked more like a ghost town than anything. For some reason it was hard to imagine the two of them running alongside their brother through this gloomy place with smiles on their faces like before.

"I really want to just go to bed. I'll say hi to everybody later." Dot spoke up and turned toward the direction of the Water Tower. She wanted to be alone. Wakko understood that. He didn't really feel like mingling with his friends at the moment. He was about to follow her when they both stopped due to a voice addressing him from their sides. It was a familiar one that made Wakko reel around in surprise.

"Hello Wakko." That was all that was said. The context behind it was the voice. He knew that voice.

"… Buster?" Wakko stared straight at the blue bunny in front of him.

"Yo." Buster spoke again. More confirmation that this wasn't a dream; Dot even thought she was seeing things.

A small cameo on Animaniacs; that was the last time he had seen or heard from the guy. There were no letters he would send. There was no news about him on Television or in the newspapers. There wasn't even any new information online. He wondered if Buster just happened to drop off the face of the Earth. Then again, he would get that feeling with most of the stars who left the lot and never really came back.

Wakko and Dot continued to stare at him for a few more seconds before they shook their heads and came back to reality.

"Wh-What brings you here…?" Wakko stammered. He damn well knew the answer to that. Details haven't been released on what exactly happened to Yakko when he was taken away but it was enough to make him weary of who brought him up.

"Believe it or not, it's not the reason you think it is." Buster said in a bit of a somber tone. Wakko hadn't expected that answer. Buster let a smile grow onto his face. It looked rather warm. Buster himself looked tired though.

"I… I don't under-" Wakko began before Buster stepped closer to him.

"It's been a while. You want to go to the nearby tavern place and just sit and talk like a couple of old men?" Buster offered with a slight chuckle. Wakko shifted his gaze to his younger sister who smiled back at Wakko and continued to walk toward the Water Tower. Wakko knew that this was her making a silent assurance for him that it was okay. Wakko, actually, did want to do it. Something to get his mind off Yakko before he just burst out crying in the middle of the lot would admittedly do him some good. He also knew that Dot was dead-set on staying focused on it though.

"Yeah. I feel kinda like an old man anyway." Wakko said back at Buster, with a genuine smile.

There was always that tiny amount of happiness that lingered when something did in-fact go right. Meeting up with a friend like this was one of those things.

* * *

Wakko and Buster sat on their stools, sipping root beer in really large mugs. Wakko was really good at drowning his sorrows in the stuff it seemed.

He had just finished his third mug.

"Sheesh. You that thirsty... or is that all the fault of a signal from your brain telling you to wash your cares away and not to stop until it works?" Buster grinned on the stool next to Wakko as he set down his half empty mug. It was his very first one still.

"You know, I don't really know. When I got here, I know for sure I was actually thirsty. Maybe it's both." Wakko responded, slumping a bit in his seat. "I hear all the time how actual beer can make someone just forget all their problems."

"Yeah, but it just puts new ones on top of them later. Like hangovers and vomit. I've seen enough of it to know it's never the right answer." Buster said back and took another quick swig. He took a careful glance around. "This place is empty."

"The whole lot is empty aside from the people who were here at the wrong time and can't go home because of it. It should be cleared up soon though. Than this place will stop being a prison for our friends and mister Bar-tender over there." Wakko said in the direction of the man cleaning glasses behind the counter. He was on the other end of the table and wasn't listening in on their conversation. That was good.

Buster's smile disappeared. "Hmm… everyone would be free except your brother right?"

"… Yeah…" Wakko muttered, not mad in the least at Buster for bringing it up. They both knew that it was the main thing on the brain at the moment and no amount of root beer was going to wash the elephant in the room away.

Buster took in a deep breath and let it out softly. "I'm sorry about all this Wakko. I know an apology from me doesn't mean jack but-"

"No. Don't do that. I'm happy you care so much." Wakko grinned. "Even after all this time. Things have been really hard for the three of us. We're just kids trying to make some kind of living now that all the fun is over. It ended real quick too. Nobody told us when we tried to get into the business all those years ago that it'd end so fast. We're not even teenagers yet." Wakko grumbled.

"Neither am I." Buster had to laugh. "Still, I'm in contact with a lot of adult stuff and practices nowadays."

"Oh really? Are you having fun at least?" Wakko smiled, hoping for any kind of good news.

"Am I having fun? Well, I'm certainly living something that's interesting, I'll say." Buster took another swig.

"Are you still in touch with the other Tiny Toons cast? You came back with Babs and Plucky for a nice cameo on our show some time later and you looked pretty cool. You still do actually." Wakko spoke trying to sound chipper. It wasn't working. Buster noticed it and gave Wakko a sympathetic smile.

"When I left, initially I just stayed with Babs. As far as the others, I didn't really see much of them aside from Plucky and Hampton. Eventually, the two of them stopped keeping in touch for one reason or another and nowadays I'm stuck seeing one of the cast members I'd rather not be saddled with." Buster said slumping forward a bit.

"Wha? Not getting along with Babs?" Wakko asked with concern evident on his face.

"No. The last time we spoke we were definitely on good terms." Buster said, a frown evident on his face. "I'm talking about someone else who shall remain nameless."

"Oh." Wakko found that kind of odd. "Well, how is Babs?"

"… I don't know." Buster said softly.

"You don't know?" Wakko asked, confused.

"It's kind of hard for me to know when she's so far away." Buster said, starring at his mug.

"She left too?" Wakko sounded shocked.

"Yeah, she did."

"Why? What was she thinking leaving a great guy like you?" Wakko pressed.

"I forget. She's been dead for quite some time now."


	13. The Agenda

_****I'm so happy when I get the hear your praise. Stay tuned as we go even deeper. _

_**Chapter 13: The Agenda**_

"Thank goodness that guard is such an idiot…" A former Warner Brothers cartoon star stomped through the empty lot, anger beaming from his face. His name was Beans the Cat. He starred in about 9 shorts before he was officially retired. Quite the career _he_ had.

Ralph, was actually, none too easy to vi-pass. It had been a chore for him to make it into this place with it having been closed off to the general public. Buster got in with no problem. It seems like he's been at it with that guard before and finally worked out a way to get through. Beans was on the other side of the fence out of pure luck. One misplaced look in the wrong direction was all it took...

Looking through this place was making him angrier. Why wouldn't it? He was thinking about recounting his career and who he thought he was back then. He was thinking or reiterating what it was that led him to the studio all those years ago and how horrifying it was that his official retirement came so swiftly and suddenly. He thought about how he should probably be remembering all the times he spent slumping in the gutter just outside of Burbank with no way to return to the life he lived before he came there.

He was going to do all that but realized quite immediately that there was no point. His story wasn't anymore special or noteworthy than any of the other people in their little group. No one got top tier in the pity department because they were all wronged in some way. They all shared that same feeling about this place. That welling up in the pit of their stomachs that made them want to vomit every time they saw the "WB" logo filled his system. He knew he was just another one of "them". That's all he was ever going to be from now on.

He'd embraced that. It didn't bother him anymore. This time, he was here on a mission for the sake of more than just his own self.

"Hmm?" Beans stopped when he spotted a squirrel walked down the empty gravel walkway. It was obviously a kid. The child didn't bat an eye when he walked by Beans. The cat didn't know if it was due to the squirrel being deep in thought or if it had to do with how massively unrecognizable he was by this point.

Either way, this was an opportunity.

"Excuse me. Kid." Beans spoke up.

For a second he was worried that the boy would just continue on, ignoring him to wallow in his own devices. However, that didn't happen.

Instead, the boy stopped and turned to look at the approaching cat. His face was sunken and he looked tired. This kid looked traumatized if he was being honest.

"What's your name?" Beans asked.

The squirrel looked him up and down before asking his question, ignoring the other one.

"How'd you get here? The gate is closed off to outsiders."

"I had special privledge. Your name?" Beans didn't need to dwell on the topic of his intrusion. His own devices came first.

The boy sighed. "Skippy."

"Skippy… I've heard that name before." Beans pretended to ponder. Of course, he knew where that name was from.

"You have to think about it huh? Guess it won't be too long before I'm forgotten too." Skippy spoke in quite the depressing, slow voice. It almost made Beans shiver. The cat put his hand on the squirrel's shoulder.

"Being forgotten's not so bad." Beans said in as comforting a voice as he could muster.

Skippy looked up at him and forced a smile. "Something tells me that you would know. You an old cartoon star mister?"

"… Something like that." Beans chuckled. He didn't know if nine shorts was enough to make him a star. Maybe "distraction" was a better word for what he was. "Let's you and me go for a walk. I think I may have a story to tell that may interest you…"

* * *

Wakko's eyes were focused directly on Buster. The rabbit wasn't looking at him. He was staring straight down into his drink.

The Warner didn't know what to do with himself. The air had already been cold and awkward. Now he was fidgeting in his seat, wondering what he was to do next. He wanted to ask so many questions. He wanted to pry so damn hard into whatever this was but the worry that had eclipsed his body for Buster's well-being and the utter shock that had not yet completely caught up to him yet from being presented this news was making him stay silent. Everytime he attempted to talk he instantly forgot what it was he was going to say.

Buster had easily sensed his unease and spoke for him. "Go ahead. Ask away."

Wakko flinched rather hard and felt an uncomfortable shiver go down the back of his spine. What world was he living in? Does this stuff just… happen whenever your show ends? Why…? Why was this…?

"… I… I don't… under…" Wakko began before darting his eyes worriedly across the table top. He hesitantly forced himself to look back at Buster again. "… H-How…?"

That was the best he could get out. It was clear enough for Buster to understand what he meant.

"She was still in that acting state of mind." Buster began, looking forward instead of down now. "She still had plenty of life in her. So much excitement and plans for the future. She was ready to make a new living for herself. I wasn't quite ready yet for reasons I won't disclose…"

Wakko sat there in his seat, looking right at the blue rabbit. Had the bar been at all full none of what was happening in the background or even right beside him would have grabbed his attention in the slightest.

"Give Babs an angle on where her life was going and she'd just role with it. She'd just go! GO!" Buster grinned for a second and let it die down to a soft smile. "… And she went. She went right on ahead…"

Wakko felt a twinge of fear despite already having been told the outcome.

"And one day she went too far…" Buster turned to face Wakko. "A deal with a new studio… one that was probably too good to be true. We're kids. It's easy to take advantage of one of us. Real easy. We went into that thing together. Did a few sketches. They liked us. They… told us they really liked us."

"… I… I guess they… lied?" Wakko choked out, surprised that he managed to let himself speak.

"That's a good guess. She worked real hard after getting accepted despite my small suspicions brewing that something was up. I didn't say anything though. I'm pretty stupid like that." Buster drank down the rest of his drink and whacked the mug aside.

It made him flinch. Suddenly Buster looked really angry.

"I just let her do it. She went on and preformed. And preformed. And she took every date and every tower of working hours they gave her. And she preformed and earned minimum wage. But they told her the money would increase the more she worked. So she worked more! And she worked real hard! And I marveled at how great she was at it! She worked and worked and worked and _WORKED!_" Buster suddenly shouted and clenched his fists shut.

Wakko started to grimace as Buster reacted to his own story.

"Work, work, work. She was having fun. It was going sooooo well. I even forgot why I was suspicious. She was accepted as their official star for their new show. She went in for the first official filming of the first toon. Guess what? She's overqualified! Isn't that amazing?" Buster turned to shout at Wakko. The bartender wasn't reacting to any of this. He was simply cleaning his glasses with his eyes a bit downcast.

Wakko flinched again but didn't move from his seat as Buster started to lose it and rant.

"So hey! She got booted out! No big deal right?! We'd start again! No one's a success story overnight. Remember that Tiny Toons star, Babs Bunny? We asked that a lot as we made our rounds. Oh yeah, she's talented, quite the small career SHE had right? That was our answer. It was our only answer.Every single time! Only a few months had passed. It was just a few months of talking with the others that got her to realize she was pretty much the only one that hadn't been able to find a path to continue on. Being a lead in Tiny Toons apparently does that to you. She's just Babs Bunny of Tiny Toons. She can't be Babs Bunny of anything else. No way! That'd be too fair wouldn't it?! We can't have that CAN WE?!" Buster yanked his glass off the table and tossed it clear across the room. Wakko winced as it shattered against the wall.

The bartender didn't react.

No one said a word.

Buster sighed and put his head down on the table, tears leaking from his eyes. "Those stories we child actors hear about failed follow-ups crept through her mind. She really didn't want to do anything else. She didn't have the talent for anything else, or so she said. She had nightmares. Freakin' nightmares about her road already being over at her really young age. She tried going back to the studio we first started at one more time. She worked up a whole new routine and wrote out her own script. She practiced in front of me. We perfected it together. We had dinner… we _kissed_…"

Wakko was trying hard to keep composure. His eyes were a bit red from his own pent up emotions but he managed to keep himself calm.

"… The next day. She went on over to show them all. She showed em what she had. Overqualification won't mean jack if a performance like that got their spirits goin'… Than they had their new lead come out and they did the take. The little witch started to taunt her from the side as she went on and made her fumble and sweat over her lines. She even ended up tripping on stage. All of them laughed and pointed at her. She ran off… I followed right after her but lost her in the crowd…" Buster trailed off.

Wakko looked like he was about to ask for more input before Buster delivered on it immediately.

"Didn't see her again for about a week… she came back, tired, hungry, she looked like she had been tortured even… she was slumming it out there all by herself for a week. She went too far and didn't know how to find her way back to the studio so we could leave it together and try something new for another day. No. She just wandered the streets… living that nightmare she had. She lived that nightmare and I wasn't there to help her through it because I couldn't locate her quick enough. When she finally did get home, nothing I did or said mattered. She wouldn't eat. She wouldn't sleep. She just kept rehearsing and ignoring me and every time we saw that … that evil… _thing_ that had taken her place on T.V she would retreat to her room for hours on end and wouldn't come out. It had gotten to her and she was obsessed. They had promised her so much and gave her nothing so quickly. It really must have felt like she was some sort of fading memory now." Buster slumped a bit in his seat.

"… And then?" Wakko asked.

"Same ol' routine… over and over… I tried my best. I really did but she just stopped taking care of her body... and then, one day... I just found her on the floor of her room…" Buster let himself stop before slamming his forehead onto the table!

"… Buster…" Wakko mouthed.

"We're kids Wakko… we're just… kids right? Kids don't react to stuff like that? We're full of hope and strength of heart right? She just let her body DIE? Why?! DID those animals just suck the life from her? " Buster jolted his head up, red-faced and tear ridden, a slight bruise on his forehead.

"Buster… I-" Wakko stammered.

"Yeah. You wouldn't know would you? Look at you. Your situation is just as unbelievable… !" Buster sounded so bitter and angry. It wasn't something Wakko was used to, nor was it very comfortable.

"… I'll work through it. I can't let this go on." Wakko looked down at his hand as it rested on the table. He was just one kid. What could he do? The system is the way it is and apparently it works. It's been this way for so long and there's never a shortage of toons out there looking for their own shows. You can screw over anyone you wanted and not have to worry about a damn thing.

"Heheh…" Buster let out a chuckle. "You and me both. No way can I let this stand. It won't be just them. They're all gonna pay for this…"

Wakko was looking at Buster, surprise highlighted on his face.

"Are you okay Buster? You're not sounding like yourself… really…" Wakko tried to speak calmly but he was feeling a tad shaken for some reason.

Buster didn't answer immediately. After a few seconds he smiled and turned to Wakko. "Hey. You wanna take me to your Tower? It's been a while since I've seen the place."

"… Yeah. Sure we can go… I'll just-" Wakko eyed the broken glass against the wall before he saw Buster slam some money on the table and leave the stool. It was more than enough for both their drinks as well as what he broke. Still, when he left and waited outside for Wakko, the Warner decided it'd be best to still apologize for him.

"Erm, sorry about all that mister." Wakko stammered out before leaving as well.

"Don't worry about it…" He said when Wakko was still in earshot. "It's not like that was anything new."

* * *

"Who exactly do you blame for all of this Buster?"

That was the question Wakko leaded in with as they walked toward the Water Tower. Buster hadn't answered Wakko right away. For a while he simply stared straight ahead, with a serious, half-open eyed look on his face. It would seem that exceptionally tired look was all but frozen on Buster's face, as it stayed that way even when he was smiling.

When they made it to the Water Tower and overlooked it, Buster spoke again.

"… Who do I blame? Considering what I'm doing with my life right now, I don't think it matters. It doesn't matter to me and it shouldn't matter to you." He shifted his eyes at Wakko, making the Warner jump. Why was he so jittery from just looking at his friend now?

"W-Well… what if I'm just curious…?" Wakko asked.

"Are you looking for someone to blame too? Is that why you want to know? So you can have a clear target to focus on for all the hate I know you still have despite how positive and supportive you're trying to be around your sister?" Buster chimed in again, this time shifting his head so that it faced Wakko entirely.

The action just made Wakko drift his body a bit to the side. He was feeling a tiny bit ashamed. It's not like he didn't have a right to be angry though. No, he was completely within his right!

"I just want to know. Can you please tell me? Is it that one girl who starred in the show instead of Babs? Was it the producer? The head of the studio? Or do you just blame eve-"

"Everyone. All of them." Buster stopped him . "All of them… and then some. Quite a number of people really. I may even hold a little animousity towards you." Buster smirked when Wakko began to sweat. He could tell the poor boy's heart skipped a beat at that.

"M-Me?! What did I-?! I-If I did anything I'm really so-" Wakko clamped his hands together in a begging position. Buster started to laugh.

"Look what this situation's done to you. Don't worry so much. I assure you, this is all gonna end soon. You know? _You gotta cheer up, and never ever give up hope…"_ Buster scampered over to the ladder and began to climb it.

Wakko blinked and followed after him on up the ladder. He wasn't sure what to make of Buster now. He was talking like he had some sort of agenda. It didn't seem like he was an outright angry and bitter person. Wakko understood his demeanor when talking about Babs and what had happened to her. However, there was something wrong here. He didn't have any clear example to highlight or pin-point though.

Either way, Wakko wanted to be there for his friend. He wanted to be there for anyone who might need his company at the moment. Just so he could be around other people who were feeling misfortune and work with them to get them back on their feet. He wanted to help as many people as he could. The urge to do so was strong but it only really showed up when the rare times he could get over his own plight came forward.

Needless to say, he has neither the time nor the resources to actually do anything though. Yet he was still trying to assert a demeanor that was willing to stay positive.

When they reached the top, Buster rubbed his hands together and grinned at the steel bolted door in front of him. When he grabbed the handle, he jerked his arm back away in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Wakko walked up next to him.

"Sorry, it's just… this handle is freezing cold. I wasn't… expecting that…" Buster trailed off and gripped the handle with both hands before turning it open. Wakko thought his line of speech when addressing the temperature of the door was odd. Everything about Buster seemed odd now. Was it just him? Maybe it _was_ just him.

The door opened and both of them were blasted with a breath of cold air. Wakko shivered a bit. Odd reaction or not, he couldn't deny that Buster had a point. This place had increasingly and unnaturally lowered its temperature to the point where the thermostat wasn't really doing anything to heat them up. This was Wakko's first time back in the tower since his hospital visit so it was a bit of an eye opener coming into this place now after all this time and feeling instantly frozen.

Wakko breathed and could've sworn he saw a puff of air in front of him. Scratch what he said before. That reaction was totally called for. What was this?

Suddenly, Wakko became concerned for Dot. He looked around and having not spotted her he called out her name, while rubbing his arms.

"Dot! Yo! Dot! We're back!" He stomped toward her room while Buster stood in the middle of the room and looked around.

Buster felt the walls, the carpet, the furniture, and breathed out several puffs of air before sighing and holding up his arm where a small watch covered by his sleeve was. He spoke into it calmly.

"Hey there… yeah I'm here… it's just like you said, its freezing cold in here…" Buster heard some odd breathing on the other end before the conversation picked back up. "… Will it be hard for me to do…?"

Buster turned and looked toward the direction Wakko had wandered off in. He walked toward the open doorway and looked in. The middle child was lovingly overlooking his little sister as she slept in her bed.

Buster walked back to his regular position and sighed. "I'll admit. It may be a bit hard but I think… I think I can manage just fine."

* * *

"Wow. No offense Mr. Beans but that's quite the short career. It is interesting how all that went down though." Skippy sat on the comfy recliner that his aunt had while Beans the Cat sat on a stool right across from Skippy. He had insisted that the child be the one who felt comfortable.

"Yup. Anyway you spin it, it's really pathetic. Can you really blame me for not being particularly fond of this studio?" Beans asked with a light smile on his face.

"No… not really… actually, lately I've been having a few second thoughts about it too." Skippy hated saying so for some reason. He felt like he should be honest though.

"Oh-ho? Really now? Tell me about it." Beans scooted his stool a bit closer to Skippy. He was generally interested for certain.

"Well… I'm sure you know about what's been happening around here lately. I k-kinda saw a lot of… that crazy stuff go down and I just… when I think about Yakko and Wakko and Dot… and even my Aunt Slappy I kinda…"

"You're worrying a lot more than you did before eh? Let me guess, you had a lot of ambition for your next project or cartoon and you couldn't wait for what was to come for you in the future eh?" Beans grinned.

Skippy didn't know why this cat was so happy about realizing that but didn't see it as him deliberately being mean about it. "Y-Yes… that's what it is…I'm… I'm just kinda…"

"The warners were kids, like you. And you observed what happened to them. Even before the oldest one apparently went crazy, they were falling on hard times. It only got worse from there and now it's just a marvel." Beans looked straight at Skippy. Skippy looked to side when he did.

Beans put his finger on Skippy's head and turned his head back to face the cat's face.

"Heh. Look at me. You see this? I look similar to them minus the red-nose. It's got nothing to do with looks though as I didn't get to star in anything as nearly as successful as Animaniacs." He explained, his voice rather calm but he was still smiling.

"… So what was it? D-Do you know? C-Can you tell me what I should do to avoid it?" Skippy asked, leaning closer as well.

"Heh… ahahahahahaha!" The cat started to laugh, lowering his head slightly. "There_ is_ no avoiding it! Unless you're real lucky like your aunt or you fancy yourself the next Bugs Bunny, you're destined for the gutter should you search for anything more within show business."

"… Wh… Wha-?" Skippy blinked, wide-eyed. That completely dashed all the plans and ideas he had when saving all his paychecks after each appearance he made.

"Well, the position you're in… maybe you can scramble for a spin-off show. Something you can do with your Aunt maybe? Perhaps something that highlighted your time in school. People would probably like that. Maybe you could pitch the idea. Pinky and the Brain was a major hit. Some people talk about that more often than Animaniacs sometimes." Beans said, bringing it back to a much lighter but still just as harsh note.

Hearing this didn't make Skippy feel any better. Not in the least. His heart was fluttering a mile a minute. He saw that vision of Yakko getting arrested cross his mind and clamped his hands onto his head, feeling a sense of hopelessness wash over him.

"I… I don't… b-but I love acting and cartoons and…" Skippy started to tear up.

"Can't do it forever. No matter how long your tangent is, it's over now. You don't think you can do anything else?" Beans tilted his head, in mock concern.

"… Me … too?... What did I do wrong?" Skippy asked.

"You wanted to be a cartoon star." Beans eyes narrowed.

"Why is that wrong?! Besides, every toon wants that-!"

"I know! STRANGE isn't it?!" Beans pressed.

Skippy blinked back tears and sat straight up in his seat. "I don't believe it. My Aunt Slappy-"

"Got lucky. I honestly don't think I've heard a story quite like hers before. But how could you choose not to believe it after seeing all this? This is a first for me as well. The general public has seen children stars go to gutter before, certainly, but it's never been anything like this! It only gets worse! What're you gonna do if you do get another chance? When that's over are you gonna try for a third? Are you gonna hope for another sketch comedy show to come around and offer you a place under a creative concept like "Toon Veteran" and have that turn up a success too? Are you?"

Skippy's eyes were wide and fearful. "… I… I don't…!"

"You don't know? I do and I haven't even seen your future yet. I can tell you that if you stick with show business, it's not gonna be pretty. Your time is up and are you at Bugs Bunny status?"

"I'm not but-"

"Than it's over."

"It's not over!"

"Says who?"

"ME!"

"And who're you?!"

"I'm Skippy Squirrel!" He was standing straight up on the chair. "And whatever you came here to do to me, I'm not falling for it!"

Beans sighed and clenched his fists. "The world is the way that it is. Your future's not gonna be anything different from the Warners if you keep on doing what you love. It's either invest in something you'll find much less interest doing or give up and hit the streets. The Warners were on their way out regardless. Your aunt can't live and protect you forever. The only way anyone gets out of this, is if we change the system. By force if need be!"

Skippy and Beans had a bit of a stare down. The squirrel eventually began speaking again.

"… I'm not stupid… I know you're not lying… I want to change things too…" Skippy said solemnly, looking down in defeat suddenly.

Beans smiled and stuck out his hand. "Then lets-"

"… But I'm not gonna do it by giving up and going down whatever path you did mister." Skippy said reaching over with his hand and instead of taking the cat's hand he stuck his hand in his side pocket and pulled out a switch-blade.

"Hey!" Beans reacted in a quick panic, trying to snatch it from him but Skippy pulled his arm back in retaliation.

"What are you doing with this?" Skippy asked angrily.

"I use it to protect myself." Beans growled, getting angrier when Skippy opened it. The young squirrel almost dropped it when he saw a small splotch of blood still on it but stayed firm.

"Is this how you got in here? Who'd you feel the need to protect yourself against? Ralph? Or anyone who passed you by and spotted you because you're not allowed in here?" Skippy waved it at the cat.

"… How'd you even-" Beans tried to ask but Skippy told him just as well.

"My Aunt Slappy taught me how to notice when people were carrying concealed weapons. Being a child star, she said it was something I might need to know. You kept your hand well over your pocket for a good while and shifted a lot whenever I eyed you there. Were you gonna take me by force if I said no?" Skippy asked, feeling rather proud of his accomplishment. He had no definite proof that the cat was hiding something but the tidbits he picked up worked well enough to tell him it was something worth noticing.

"… Tch. If you had said 'No' I would've just left. You wouldn't have been worth my time." Beans grumbled.

The two of them suddenly heard clapping from the doorway.

They both turned and saw Slappy standing in the open door with her arms folded.

"Excellent job Skippy. See how this garbage doesn't want to associate with people clearly more talented than him. That's also the way of the world." She said stepping closer to them.

"Aunt Slappy…" Skippy smiled. He was actually really happy that she saw all that, truth be told.

"Your that old ass squirrel from those sketches you share with this starry-eyed waste of space." Beans was full on antagonistic toward them now. He wasn't being treated with the best kind of acknowledgement after all.

"I'm sure someone like you with such a huge library of cartoons under your belt feels just SO compelled to talk to about my nephew like that." Slappy fiddled with her fingers. She looked calm despite what just happened. Both Beans and Skippy knew better than to take that at face value.

"No need to pin anything special on him because of that. Some make it and some don't. That's not something he has control over-"

"I'm a little more positive that having at least some talent can help." Slappy shot back making Beans growl.

"Listen granny-" He stuck his finger at her which she grabbed and bent back, making him wince.

"No you listen. I'm not sure I appreciate you coming in here, invited by my nephew, and saying all this stupid jargon. What's your business here on this lot? Are you one of them thugs from before?" Slappy asked.

"Them thugs from...?" Skippy blinked.

"I assume she means one of the guys in league with Wakko's previous kidnappers." Beans grinned and got confirmation from Slappy's single nod. "Yes. That's the truth. So what? They just needed a little cash to acquire something worth it without raising suspicion from simply stealing it." Beans shrugged.

He was than raised into the air by his finger. It hurt quite a bit really.

"What'd they buy?"

"I dunno. Maybe it was a TV or some part we needed for one of our planes. They are pretty run down." Beans' smirk never left despite his position.

"You tortured that poor kid for something stupid like that!?"

Beans held up his other finger in mock protest. "Ah, Ah. I didn't do anything. Those kids had a field day with Wakko. Making him vomit and cutting him open for kicks. I can't say I didn't enjoy watching it a little-"

One swift motion and he was flung hard against the wall. Beans grunted and slid to the floor but than started to giggle almost immediately after he did.

Skippy was now behind his aunt. "Does getting cancelled tend to make people go crazy Aunt Slappy?"

"Hmm. I'm starting to wonder." Slappy stepped closer to the cat and hoisted him up by the arm this time. "Now then, you had an agenda other than trying to recruit my nephew to whatever group you belong to. Tell me." Her grip on his arm got tighter. He couldn't hold back his expression of pain from it either.

"N-Nothing special. I just accompanied Buster and was told to see if there were any people over at this lot who were smart enough to wise up and stop being apart of this farce. It's too much of a shame when they have to go through the _entire_ process before ending up with our little fling." Beans shrugged.

"There a reason you think we won't retaliate with you telling us all this?" Slappy pressed.

"There a reason you think I'd bother if you had any real chance? We're not planning on doing anything bad you know. That's all up to everyone else when this blows over. Yakko and those few people who axed their heads off on the news are just samples of what's in store for the future." Beans grinned.

Slappy and Skippy both looked at him in shock.

"… What do you know about that? Do you know about the Water Tower too? Tell me! What is it really?" Slappy asked.

Beans just nodded, still smiling that innocent smile. "It's just an ordinary Water Tower with an odd feature. Nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to-?" Slappy grinded her teeth before he spoke again.

"You ever think the term _Consensual Genocide_ has ever been used yet? Can't think of an instance where it would've been… " Beans trailed off, his eyes a bit dilated.

* * *

"Sorry about that Buster. She was asleep and I-" Wakko began before Buster silenced him by holding up his hand. Wakko looked confused until he saw Buster's saddened face. "I-Is something wrong?"

"Wakko… I'm gonna be straight with you… there isn't a whole lot of time left for either of us. I have to know. Would you ever consider changing the course of the way things are right now?" Buster asked.

Wakko looked at him. his confusion ever strong. "Of course I would. I'd do anything to make sure me and my family were back on top again."

"Would you really do _anything?_" Buster asked, emphasizing the end of his sentence. Wakko flinched.

"… I… well… maybe not _anything_…" Wakko stammered.

"How much do you love your sibs?" Buster asked with a straight face.

"You already know the answer to that." Wakko said quickly. That was a stupid question. Buster sighed and tapped his forehead before rubbing it a little and letting his arm fall limply to his side. "Yeah, I guess I do. It's that kind of love that has them attached to this world right? What if you could change the world? Make it so that this kind of stuff never happened again? Would you be up for that?"

"… I'd… I'd really like to… but…" Wakko looked at his feet. "How would that work?"

"The only real way is by force of course." Buster smiled.

"… Yeah… I can see that." Wakko looked to the side. Truth be told, if it meant securing a better future for everyone, he didn't see why force wouldn't be necessary in some form. "What kind of force?"

The kind of force used mattered to him though. It was one thing work towards a goal and make demands of those on top. It was another way to use violence. Buster winced at the question.

"Why does that matter?" Buster dodged the straight answer. Wakko noticed it.

"Do you know something you're not telling me? What exactly do you do now Buster?" Wakko put his hands behind his back, as if tensing up a bit but trying to remain firm.

"… I… I'm just a…" Buster's eyes shifted to his own side this time. What was the best answer for that?

"I consider you a friend you know." Wakko suddenly said, his voice rather serene. It wasn't spastic or confrontational sounding at all. "If you're doing anything wrong or illegal under some sort of cover for something like this… I'm not really sure what to say or do…"

Buster looked at Wakko as if studying him for a second, letting his arms dangle at his sides. His blank stare was getting to Wakko rather quickly.

"I'm sorry about what they did to you Wakko. Those three guys… I know who they are…" The rabbit admitted. Wakko's eyes bugged out. Instantly he held a palm to his mouth and turned away, feeling sick to his stomach on reflex. Those memories were coming back. The thought of all that torture was making him writhe and sweat and…

Wait… did he say he _knew_ them?

"-Know them… y-you… how do…" Wakko flinched as he stared ahead in the opposite direction. If he were facing Buster he might have been able to react a bit against what happened next.

A loud clang was heard. Pain washed over the back of Wakko's head as his eyes crossed and he fell forward, hitting the floor with just as loud a thud.

Buster was holding a lamp in the palm of his hands with the same empty expression on his face. "I've seen a lot of eye-opening stuff since I was away Wakko. I don't want to make light of your situation but not even what you've been through till now can compare. It was stupid to think you might've wanted to help me."

Buster's ramblings were cloudy and distorted in Wakko's head. He could only make out the stars he was seeing. That was it before he completely went limp and drifted into unconsciousness.

"Don't worry Wakko. You're not gonna go through anything like that again. When nothing matters anymore there's not gonna be any reason for torture anyway. It'll all work out." Buster said, looking rather disappointed. "… I suppose I should at least be glad I got tasked with making sure you don't get to see how it all works out though…"


	14. Destruction and Discord

_**Really long wait this time. Sorry about that. College and what not was in the way. But I always finish something I've said I'm committed to finishing so let's keep going my friends!**_

_**Chapter 14: Destruction and Discord**_

"It's hard for me to talk about this when I'm feeling so unwelcome in your home." Beans wasn't letting up. His crazed smile and dilated pupils were giving Skippy the creeps. Slappy saw it for what it was. He was just insane now. That didn't mean that this was a cause to stop.

"Anything you say will do. I just have to match it up with what Brain found and we're in the clear. Isn't it strange how taking the clean water out of the tower has it turn dirty when left out in the open but somehow the water already in it remains just as pure as the day it was pumped in after it was built?" Slappy choked Beans a bit tighter and made him gag a bit before loosening him so he could speak.

"Guh… p-probably… like I said, it IS pretty special…" Beans grumbled.

"Don't sell yourself short. You know more than you're letting on. Please. Explain to me just how special? Anything about Yakko's illness? What about the reason why his two siblings aren't affected?" Slappy pressed on.

"Yeah! And how about how cold it is around there now? The temperature around that tower is inhumanly cold for like, no reason!" Skippy chimed in. He had been there recently. He knew all this wasn't right. What could it be? He was feeling anxious just like Slappy. This guy obviously knew all of it and he just wasn't telling.

Beans looked back and forth between the both of them and laughed.

"So you guys want a history lesson or something? Maybe a sit-in discussion on the finer parts of Water Tower architecture would suffice? It's kind of a cool feature being able to have a tower that doesn't age-GEAAAAAH!"

The shout was from Beans being re-slammed into the wall. This time she made sure to press him as hard toward it as possible. He was outright insulting their intelligence now and there was no way she would stand for it.

"I know you think this is funny but I don't. Trust me, I basically wrote the book on comedy. All you're doing is taking swings and missing. No wonder you didn't last long. You're not good enough for one cartoon let alone five." Slappy gripped him harder and removed him from the wall, revealing several cracks that had come about from her applied force.

"Why does it matter? I don't see any reason why I should have to say anything. My life holds no value to me anymore. I mean come on! Seriously? I'm not about to-GYAAAAAH!"

And that scream came from Slappy dropping an anvil on his foot. The helpless cat was stuck.

"You stay there. I have a feeling you're not alone. Skippy, keep an eye on him. I'm going to need to contact Brain and Plotz as well. We'll get this sorted out." Slappy grinned.

"You're seriously gonna leave me like this? Have a little restraint woman!" Beans lost his temper, pulling at his foot but being unable to remove it. It didn't help that Skippy was using it as a seat, chuckling as he did so. Being laughed at by this child couldn't do anything but instill a relishing blow to his pride despite him relinquishing all rights to care whether he lived or died. Slappy could see that. She saw what made a lot of toons tick and it didn't take much to get under their skin.

It also didn't take much to exploit it so that it could be funny too. The cat kept trying to stretch away and ended up snapping back into the anvil like a rubber-band. With a slight chuckle and a flex of her arm, Slappy slammed the door and left the two of them with her temporary parting words of wisdom.

"Now THAT'S comedy!"

And scene…

* * *

"Staring at it is making me sick. It's time I left." Buster grumbled, fiddling with his Walkie-Talkie. He hadn't gotten any sort of distress call from Beans, which must mean he was in a secure location. The plan was simple. Get into the lot and do the tasks they needed to do. With both of them in, one would have to remain on the inside and overlook the dangerous Water Tower. The boss granted that honor to whoever could get out first. It didn't matter much though. Soon this place was going to full of outsiders…

As he stepped across the lot, he looked down at his feet and pondered just how far his life had come in such a short time. It's so strange that it changed this much this early. Why would this despair take up so much of his time? What could have coaxed his life so that it ended up this way? Did he deserve it? Did he do something wrong?

He stopped and slapped himself across the face. There he was thinking about the past. The whole point of joining this guy was to relinquish all possibility of caring about the past, present, and future. That was their goal. That was all that lied ahead for everyone; more of_ this_ but with a more instant and physically devastating turn.

If the population was lucky, they'd welcome their fate so that they could be spared precious time wasted wondering why all this had to happen. Wondering why was pointless. Dwelling in "what ifs" was just pathetic. No bigger a wake-up call than witnessing what happened to Babs and hearing his boss's story was needed to convince Buster of that now.

By now he had reached the gate but he was quick to hide behind a bush for some much needed cover. Plotz was standing beside Ralph, desperately pushing at his hulking form as it slumped against the gate. He could make out a gash in the guard's leg and a knot on his head. Beans must have been rather resourceful with how he went about trying to get in. Well, "resourceful" as in quick and violent of course.

"I said WAKE UP! Come on, I can't have any more casualties around here! Please, get up!" Plotz actually felt himself shiver with fear. It wasn't something that needed to be provoked anymore at this point. How was it that there was a possible worse dilemma to live through than dealing with the Warner's nonsense? If he could go back to the past he'd smack himself for being so hard on their playfulness. A trade off was what he wanted now. That for this!

He was actually about to call for security when he let out an exasperating wail after realizing that Ralph was the security. The only one left on the lot and he had to be stationed by the gate at all times. This was insane!

He hated the idea of someone seeing him do this but he needed Ralph to wake up. He kicked the fat guard at the side of his head. His eyes actually fluttered open! He was ever so thankful for the immediate reaction.

"Ralph." Plotz bent down, grabbed the dizzy man's collar and hoisted his head up so that they could meet face to face. "What happened here? Who do this to you? Is the wound serious? I can't really tell since I'm not a doctor but you seem flabby enough-"

"Someones broke in!" Ralph choked out when his vision cleared and he was certain it was his boss who was sweating up a storm in front of him.

Plotz grimaced and pulled at the strands of hair at the side of the head. Looking at Ralph, that should've been obvious. It still stung hearing it though. What was he going to do about this? Did anyone else come through while Ralph was out? What more could they do here? Should he go with the guy and search for the intruder or keep watch for more?

"We need more assistance. We need to… figure something out… this… " Plotz' face turned red. He stamped his foot hard into the dirt. Words couldn't express how pissed off he was now. Look at this place! It was all but run down! His employees and associates were being treated like crap and he was being made a fool of! Enough was enough!

"Ralph. Stand up. We're getting you to Hello Nurse. Get yourself a scooter or a Segway or something after she patches you up and tell everyone on this lot to arm themselves with… something! Anything! I don't care anymore. I'll go to war over this place before I allow people to continue doing whatever they want to me and my legacy!" Plotz held onto Ralph's arm and helped him move along the ground toward the medical tent where Ms. Nurse was. The hospital nearby the lot was out of question obviously.

Buster watched them go along and scoffed. Just another studio head reacting to his precious business being destroyed was what he was. He had no idea how inconsequential all this was. Of course he didn't.

When they were gone, Buster rushed ahead and climbed over the fence. When he landed on the other side he patted down the front of his shirt to wipe the dirt off. For some reason he felt a huge weight off his chest. Just being in that place made him feel like vomiting.

"Alright… I'd better hurry up and get back to my jackass in crime so we can go to phase 2…" Buster grumbled and ran off. He felt himself jolt and stop for a second before looking back at the WB logo on the fence. Wakko's stupid smiling face flashed before his eyes for a second there. He sighed. The old him was lingering a bit. He probably wouldn't have realized it had he not poured his heart out to Wakko in that bar.

This was the end of it though. With a huff and grunt of determination, he charged ahead.

* * *

Bubbles?

Is that what those were?

That's certainly what they sounded like.

Bubbles floating and… well, bubbling, outside his room. … Outside his room? No wait… How…?

The Water Tower wasn't in the ocean. Did it submerge? Why? Maybe it would help if he could see. Everything was black. How could he get the light back? His head was hurting so bad. It was hard to think. Maybe if he just… opened his eyes? Would that work? Y-Yeah… that sounded right.

Exertion of strength and muscle power focused in the eyelids helped crack them open. It was harder than he thought it would be to build all that up and open them. When he finally succeeded in doing so he recognized his surroundings as… unfamiliar.

It was still really dark… there was a little light peeking through the holes of the wooden blockades around himself. He pressed his cheek against it. He moaned a bit in pain, and noticed how wet his cheek got from touching the side of it.

In fact, now that he was starting to recognize how things were feeling, he realized that his entire lower half was wet. It felt submerged even. Is that where the bubbles were coming from?

He refocused his eyeballs ahead of himself. He could tell that wherever he was it was cramped… and he could make out someone else too…

When he saw who it was, he jerked ever more slightly awake in fear. It was Dot. His little sister, Dot was here. She was asleep too… although, he could make out a slight knot on her head too. Wakko grew curious and touched the top of his head. Wincing immediately, he remembered spontaneously that he had been hit over the head by a blunt object. From behind… by…

The only person in the room with him at the time was Buster. Wakko's vision got clearer. He was having epiphany after epiphany and it was greatly helping him to rekindle his memory and become more aware of his surroundings. And the verdict was that he and Dot were in really great danger!

Wakko shot forward and wrapped his arm around her to pull her close to him. He started to pant and sweat in a small panic. He realized what this was now. The wooden sides, the bubbles, the water, the fact that they had both been asleep through this, and how he now knew about Buster's affiliates all connected together and made this make sense. It was a horrible truth but he couldn't ignore it less he end up dead.

They were both trapped inside a wooden crate with small holes drilled through it and tossed into a body of water. It was probably the large lake near the forest area beside the hospital. He got it now. It made Wakko want to cry just thinking about it. Wakko shut his eyes tightly and forced himself to keep from doing so though. Now _really_ wasn't the time. Looking around, the brunt of the situation suddenly hit him full force and his heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest.

Holding on to Dot he used his free arm to pound at the side of the crate. His fist hurt instantaneously and he promptly realized that he wasn't going to break out with one fist alone. He reluctantly let Dot go, allowing her to float next time him. That feeling of letting her go was terrible too. He knew she was right there but this situation was making him think that if he didn't keep a good grip on her, she'd just die anyway.

Focus! He needed to focus and get out of this!

Wakko rammed his fists hard into the side of the crate. It broke slightly but not enough to allow water to seep in. He applied more force for his next attack and both fists broke through this time, effectively gaining him some wood uncomfortably shanked into his gloved hands. He didn't care about how he was bleeding or anything inconsequential like that. It didn't even cross his mind. The water poured into the crate faster now, filling it up much quicker than before.

Wakko didn't stop though. This just meant he needed to be quicker. He ripped into the wood and burst through the crate, tearing it apart from the sides with his abnormal cartoon strength and taking the brunt of the water torrent that slammed into his body when he made a big enough hole into it.

He made sure to turn around and re-wrap his arms around Dot and hold her close to him as the water rushed into the crate, filling it up. He pushed through the hole, getting some small scrapes on his body as the wood cut into him, however, he made sure to hold Dot close to him so that she would remain unharmed.

With a quick pitch upward, he rocketed toward the surface as quickly as he could. He wasn't too confident about his swimming skill when it came to deep bodies of water really but with him holding Dot and bleeding out like this he needed to make this work correctly.

And with the light of the surface eminent above him, his confidence grew. With a quick burst of energy he managed to emerge through the water and made it out into the open daylight.

He took in a huge gulp of air. One for the lack of air he had swimming to the surface under all that pressure and another just for how scared he was that if he didn't, he'd die right then and there. With several sputtering coughs and failed attempts at getting his heart beat under control, he swam to the edge of the lake and hoisted Dot up and over, onto the grass. He coughed a little more as he overlooked her body. She was unconscious. Not sleeping but unconscious.

Wakko didn't know what happened but supposedly Buster must've tried to get her into that crate and she woke up from her earlier nap. Then he must have struck her over the head to knock her out. It would explain the bump on her head. Wakko sighed. He was glad it wasn't all too noticeable. That supposedly meant it wasn't too serious.

He got out of the water and felt his head again. His hat was shifted a bit to the side and drenched too. He was glad Buster had the decency to let him die with it on.

He bent down and shook Dot's body. He heard her cough and grunt before her head nodded to the side. Wakko felt his heartbeat finally start to return to normal. These reliefs to his shaken system were very much needed and he was eternally grateful that he had reacted to this as quickly as he did.

Though, if he hadn't gotten lucky and woken up at the exact moment he did…

There they were. The tears were starting to come back again. He forced himself to keep from crying. He didn't want to keep doing that. Old friends were trying to kill him… his own brother was touted as a murderer and arrested…

He needed to do something about this.

Wakko hoisted Dot over his shoulder and coughed a bit more, struggling away from the lake. He was right about its location. He wasn't too far from the main part of the studio. He could get help. Good.

He needed a lot of help.

* * *

"You're awfully quiet now. Give up?" Skippy grinned at Beans, still sitting on the anvil. The cat was grumbling with his head in the palm of his hands, splayed out on the floor.

"In the end I probably overreacted to this. It won't be too long now." Beans murmured with assured confidence. Skippy gave him a well justified confused look.

"It won't be too long until what? Why do you bad guys always gotta be so vague." Skippy whined and flicked Beans' nose. The cat growled and bit at him but the squirrel pulled away at the last second, chuckling.

"Trust me. You're gonna wish the rest of us really were _vague_ when this blows over brat."

* * *

"Oh jeez. What's happening now?" Bobby grumbled as he flew to the fence and saw a ton of military looking jeeps line up. There was no one in here. Why would the military see fit to come around this barren wasteland?

Squit flew overhead and saw plenty more where these came from, rushing straight ahead and toward the gate. Pesto blinked and stared in confusion, not sure what to make of it or even where to perch for this.

He finally did land next to Bobby when he could have sworn he overheard some talking from the oddly dressed people that walked out. They weren't in military garb for some reason. They were wearing their own clothes, most of it dark and a lot of them looked rather dirty. It was like some of them had been rolling in dirt for the past few years.

"Hey yo, Bobby. I may be goin' crazy but I know I heard one of them ask if the "sneaking part" was all done. What does that mean?" He asked leaning his head close to his boss.

"Now how do you expect me to know that feather-head? These goons just appeared out of nowhere when we were passing by and-" Bobby started to reiterate the situation when Squit shouted down from above.

"Guys! Fly away from the fence! JEEP!" Squit's voice sounded panicked. The two remaining birds looked ahead; their eyes all but shot out of their heads when they saw the speeding head lights of several jeeps flooring it right toward the gate. The two birds flew straight up as the vehicles crashed into the fence, effectively ripping it apart from it's hinges and allowing several of them to storm the inside of the studio!

"Now what kind of stupid game of tag is this?" Pesto cried out in anger. "You coulda killed me ya jerks!"

"Don't agitate them. They definitely ain't normal." Bobby scolded, pressing a wing to Pesto's beak. The three birds grew ever more convinced of that, seeing more of the jeeps flood in and riding around the nearly empty studio, ramming into whatever was in their way and crashing through several garages.

"Quick, we gotta alert someone. Anyone." Squit chimed in before they all sprung to life and acted upon a desire to escape.

"Do we gotta? I mean really?" Pesto grumbled. He felt agitated. Why were they going to continue to stay wrapped up in something that was by now obviously much bigger than any of them could've hoped to comprehend? For a pay check?

"No. I agree. I get this feeling that if we just escape, we'll still end up getting the short end of the stick by the time this is all over." That was Bobby's call to arms. He flew right down to the nearest building with his friends flying at his side to warn the masses of what was going down, despite it being entirely possible that they'd find out anyway considering what was happening to the lot.

* * *

Slappy had so many gadgets to choose from. It was starting to bother Brain just how intrusive she was being for seemingly no reason.

"You do know that we have labels on them. The description for what they all can do is right underneath the cubby they're placed in." This was Brain running on the assumption that Slappy was just looking at the items and not realizing what it is they could do.

"Yeah I got that. Got anything here that can track people? Maybe some sort of lie detector thing-a-ma-bob? How about a deadly missile launcher? " Slappy grinned her mischevious grin.

"I made a cannon that shoots cashews." Pinky raised his hands. "It worked real well against this one guy who was slightly allergic to nuts when I aimed at his nose."

Brain rolled his eyes. "What exactly do you need to recruit us again for? Hasn't this all been sorted out just yet?"

"What? You mean you know the deal behind the Water Tower now?" Slappy hoisted up a strange rifle that seemed to have a weird blue colored energy running through its seams.

Brain scratched the area behind his ears. He was feeling a little high-strung. "No, I mean… Haven't we gone too deep into this as it is? Prying anymore may-"

"Help us stop whatever's about to go down. You know the stuff that happened recently wasn't due to looking into this mystery. It happened because there's tons of idiots and jerks out there ready to believe in screwing things up. Yakko's in jail and now there's some freak spouting out stuff about a boss-man who knows the secret behind that tower. Are you sure you don't want to get this cleared up? If we don't, I can probably assure you that you may end up dead." Slappy leaned in close to the mice and saw the reaction on their faces.

"Well… I… perhaps, I'm just a bit on edge…" Brain grumbled, looking to the side, a bit ashamed.

"You should be. I am too." Slappy put the strap to the weapon over her shoulder before she heard the door burst open. The three of them turned and saw two figures slumped over at the side of the door.

"Wakko…? Dot?" Slappy named the two of them off, shocked by their presence. Wakko was splintered and bleeding, slumping over while panting and extremely soaked. Dot was over his shoulders, weighing him down but just as wet. She had a few scratches on her as well. "What happened_ now_? Can't catch a break can you?"

Wakko responded with a rough cough. He was about to topple over when the elderly squirrel rushed to his side and held him up on his feet.

"Easy there kid. What's this about?" Slappy spoke sternly. It was a tone she used to Skippy when she was being guardian-like and serious.

"… He… he tried to kill me…" Wakko choked out. It sounded like it hurt having to admit that to himself. However, he knew it was the truth.

"He who? Who is-" Slappy didn't have time to finish before a jeep rammed into the side of the lab, blowing open a hole in the wall that sent several devices and chemicals slamming into the ground. The table Pinky and the Brain were standing on toppled over and the two of them rolled to the floor.

"What in the heck just-" Brain began to complain when Slappy suddenly scooped the two mice up and pulled Wakko away from the doorway. Another jeep rammed into the small opening of the doorway, almost tearing down the wall to the entrance with it. The squirrel stumbled a bit, the other four accompaniment rolling to the side as she barely managed to get out of the way.

"Found some!" Came a voice from the clear window of the newest vehicle.

"Alright than, kill em. The place needs to be completely empty now!" Another, more raspy voice hit Slappy's ears as she watched the scene play out before them. The jeeps that were penetrating the building looked like they belonged to the military. However, they looked like they had been enhanced somehow. Driving a jeep through a laboratory with as thick a composition of walls as this was no easy feat. So to do so without getting a scratch on the thing was tremendously distracting.

It didn't distract for long though. The windows to the jeep were blown out when a round of gunfire was hailed toward them. Slappy let out a growl of frustration, having to kick Wakko in the butt to send him skidding away from the onslaught so that they, as a cluster of people, weren't such an easy target.

Wakko flopped to the floor. He was no longer carrying Dot. She had been picked up by Slappy and was cradled under her arms in the confusion.

"Yo kid! I know you're able enough to get walking! SO GET WALKING!" Slappy shouted and it rang in Wakko's ears. He struggled to his feet and jumped out of the way of another blast that almost blew his feet off!

He rolled into a metal crate and whined as his already injured head bashed against it. His body had just recovered from a hospitalization. He had no desire to go back so early. Looking ahead at the people now exiting the jeep, he started to realize the situation here.

They were being shot at by these average sized toons carrying strange looking weapons. Wakko eyed the hole in the floor that the weapon had managed to strike. The floor bubbled slightly. Seems like whatever those bullets were made of were enhanced as well. Who were these people? And where'd they get such dangerous toys?

"Alright, gotcha now kid!" One of the toons cocked the double barrel gun in his hand and aimed it at Wakko just as he managed to regain his bearings again.

Slappy scoffed and took the rifle off her back and pointed it at the two of them.

"Hey! Do you know how to use that thing?" Brain shouted, clinging onto Slappy's hat.

"An old lady with a Rambo weapon! I've seen it all Brain!" Pinky laughed, hanging onto the flower in Slappy's hat.

"No I don't know how to use it, but I'm guessing whatever trigger is here makes the projectile stuff come out right?" Slappy kept the weapon charted up at the two toons, who had their attention solely focused on the crazy old woman at their side.

"Well hey Ms. Squirrel. I'm afraid you don't have any real idea who you're dealing with." One of them spoke up with a sly grin on his face. His floppy ears made him look like some sort of dog toon. That didn't say much considering what exactly the Warners were was still a mystery.

"Oh really? Do tell? Do you still bleed when you get drilled full of holes? Or does mustard come out instead." Slappy stared straight at them, watching out for any sudden movements. They didn't make any. One of them already had his gun pointed at Wakko though, so that didn't mean much. The kid was already in danger.

"We're a group of people who act accordingly to the mission given onto them. At any cost." The second toon spoke up. He had cat ears and just as nasty a grin on his face. "Our lives mean absolutely nothing to us. Not anymore."

"That sounds rather contradictory. Why haven't you killed yourselves yet? Never crossed your pea-brains to give that a shot?" Slappy retorted.

They all but ignored the comment. "In order to be a part of our group, you need to consider your life worthless compared to the grand scheme of things. It doesn't make sense now, but should you know the whole truth, things become a lot clearer."

"I'd much rather you just explain yourselves and keel over afterwards!" Slappy shouted back.

"Whatever. Take him out." The goon standing next to his partner with the rifle pointed at Wakko ordered. He went to do so without hesitation.

"Hey! I said-" Slappy stopped when realization hit. Of course he wasn't going to stop. That's what he meant about their lives not mattering! Shoot!

With a quick change of pace, she aimed her weapon at the jeep instead and fired into it. A blast of blue sparking energy shot out and screeched across the air, striking the vehicle and making it explode right beside the two goons. Their bodies weren't immune to taking a blast like that from behind and they rocketed across the room with the smoking jeep collapsing as they hit the wall and slid down it, unconscious.

Wakko fidgeted. He let a puff of air escape as he rushed over to Slappy. "Y-You had them in your sights with that thing and neither of them looked worried? Did they have a plan for if you fired at one of them?"

Slappy shook her head. "No. They didn't. Whatever these people came here to do, that objective is all they care about. Seems like threatening their well-being isn't going to have any effect. They don't care if they die. And he says you need to think that way in order to be a part of the group, which means, none of them can be threatened." Slappy grumbled. Oh well. She was a fan of brute force more than negotiation.

"The Spark-Ray worked! I thought it was broken." Pinky grinned.

"It was. The last setting on it is anyway." Brain sighed. He perked up when the first jeep that rammed into the side of the building started to back out. "Seems we don't have time for dilly dally."

"Grab something to protect yourself and follow me." Slappy ordered. Wakko grimaced at the idea of carrying a weapon like that. He needed to make it out of this alive though. Whatever was happening, he didn't like the idea of facing off against a torrent of people who didn't care whether or not they lived or died. For what purpose would any of this serve if that was true? What goal does someone have to achieve with no longer caring about themselves? Much less, an entire foundation of people getting together with the explicit idea of pulling an operation like this off was mind-boggling.

Shaking his thoughts off, Wakko pulled out his gag bag and produced his large mallet. "I already got one!"

"Before we go, take the Spark-Enhancer with you." Brain ordered. Wakko blinked in confusion before the mouse jumped onto of his hat and pointed at a small circular magnet looking thing with the same blue energy sparking through it. Wakko had no idea why this would be essential but he grabbed it all the same.

"They're trying for two! Bumper-Cars with the wall is the name of the game I guess." Pinky chimed in, seeing the jeep rush right through the hole it made this time. They all took this opportunity to rush out of the other hole in the wall, narrowly avoiding being run over.

"I shouldn't have left Skippy in that garage by himself. I need to go back and get him. Do you think you can make it to Plotz' office and stay alive long enough for me to get there too?" Slappy turned to Wakko and asked as they ran.

Wakko panted and turned to her with an exasperated nod. He knew that she had to go and make sure Skippy was safe but if they all went than that'd be more time lost making sure the others on the lot were safe too.

"Good than I'll-" Slappy began before a previously silenced voice spoke up.

"Lighten your load first. I'll go with Wakko." Dot, who had been previously unconscious under her arm, was wide awake. The blasts and explosions might have contributed to that she figured.

Wakko couldn't help smiling at seeing his sister awake. "Oh Dot! You're up! Thank goodness!"

"Of course I'm up! I don't die! Not even if you kill me!" Dot sprang from under Slappy's arms and landed on her feet, wincing as she touched the ground. This was when she first took notice of the small scrapes on her body and how wet she was. There was also a throbbing pain on the tip of her head too. How very weird.

Slappy leered ahead and saw the fence of the Warner Brother's lot completely demolished. It looked like a new border was being set up though. Also, there were tons of jeeps all over the place. They sped by and rammed into everything, seemingly trying to flush out anyone they could.

"I doubt they'd be doing this if they didn't have some way to combat an actual military force coming in to try and stop them too. Wakko, do you know anything about this?" Slappy stopped when she saw a path in line with her way back to the garage she and Skippy were staying at.

Wakko turned back to her as he and Dot kept running; Pinky was sitting on Wakko's hat. Brain was perched on Slappy's.

"All I know is that one of my friends tried to kill me and that he was also friends with the guys that my brother owed money to. I don't know what's happening but we need to escape." Wakko all but shouted. Dot's face and his face tried hard not to show it, but it was still obvious that they were terrified. They needed out of this mess and fast!

Slappy ran straight forward. She was right at the area where she and Skippy had to call that run down area their temporary new home. Her eyes burned brightly with fervor as well as a tense kind of frustration.

They were on the cusp of getting somewhere with this investigation. They had to be. Now all of a sudden, JEEPS! Jeeps everywhere! Crashing into things, tearing support beams apart, ripping through metal, and scaring the hell out of her friends; they were intruding in on everything and making it all worse.

The more kept in the dark about the situation she was the angrier she got. So this Water Tower keeps whatever is inside it completely preserved? Somehow that had to do with Beans' boss and his mission. All of these people were a part of the same scheme. Why? You were only allowed in if you didn't care about your life? For what?! What in the world was going on!?

Her eyes widened when she saw the garage coming into view. The door was blown open, seemingly by some sort of weapon…

Slappy skidded to a stop and peered through the open hole. The angry expression on her face twisted into something intense and unreadable when she saw the scene that laid before her.

Skippy was splayed out on the ground, bleeding from the head with the anvil pinning his tail to the ground and a paper note taped to his chest, written in something crimson red.

'_I disagree, Ms. Squirrel. THIS is comedy. '_


	15. Escape

_**Thanks for the reviews and the continued support all who continue to read. The times between updates have gotten a bit bigger but I still have my commitment to continue on ahead. The story has a few more situations to run through before we reach the climax! The characters are all out of their comfort zone times eleven now!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 15: Escape**_

"Sheesh. Wasn't this kid supposed to be like, super hyper or something?" Rita sat next to Runt and looked ahead at Mindy as she lazily slumped against the wall and rolled her little ball back and forth across the carpet. Buttons was looking down at her, at her side for certain, but not really feeling as though it was Mindy who he was staring at.

She was just so incredibly drained. The atmosphere of the events plaguing this lot reflected so negatively off of both her and her dog. Toddlers and animals seemed much more reactionary to the mood of the situation. You could just tell there was something wrong with the world the way they were reacting to their surroundings.

"What are the adult people talking about Rita?" Runt turned his head to the back room where the door was still flung wide open and Ralph was on a recliner three times smaller than he was. His injured area was being elevated and looked over by Hello Nurse. Plotz was told to leave the room several times but he wasn't having it. He wanted Ralph better and seemingly he wanted it done in an unrealistic spectacle amount of time. He spoke as though he was gearing up for war. She wouldn't put it past him to send Ralph to some laboratory and have him refitted into becoming some sort of terminator considering the mood he was in.

"Hurry up! I hear the drums of war pounding in my heart!" Plotz shouted. Hello Nurse was getting extremely frustrated. She could hear something alright and it was a lot more annoying and destructive than the drums of war.

Rita was hearing something too… though it was coming from the outside rather than the already loud inside. It sounded like a jeep. The engine of a jeep was closing in on them.

That was beyond odd. The lot was closed… and something was headed right for the… !

"LOOK OUT!" Rita shouted.

Buttons jolted at the sound of Rita's shout. That's when he heard the sound of the engines and the striking sense of danger. He snapped his jaw around the collar of Mindy's suspenders and darted out of the way. He was a split second away from being too late too as a truck sized hole was burst through the plaster of the wall when the reinforced jeep crashed into it.

"Whoa! Crazies Rita!" Runt shouted.

"Yeah. I can see that." Rita snarled and backed away.

"What the devil was that?!" Plotz screamed, scampering out the back room with Hello Nurse right on his tail. She was in the middle of finally bandaging Ralph up and then yet another loud disruption happens?

Loud disruption was a bit of an understatement. Considering there was a truck sized hole in the wall and all.

Two toons with wicked grins on their faces got out and pointed rifles at them all.

"None of you guys look all that special." One of them spoke and let his floppy rabbit ears droop to cover one of his eyes.

"Ah. It's Thaddeus Plotz. I can't wait till this ammo riddles him through!" The second toon, some sort of Lemur, grinned even brighter. The prospect of taking out their aggression on these studio owners was leaking through so easily despite all their oaths to abandon their feelings for the mission.

Plotz and the others were predictably stunned. Of course, survival instinct was taking over when they realized that their lives were in a tremendous amount of danger. Mindy began backing away with Buttons growling and keeping her behind him.

"I think the kid wants to die first." The rabbit spoke up, making Mindy jump a bit.

"Do it! It'll be funny!" The lemur slightly drooled. They were insane.

Before the shot could be fired at the kid and her dog, one of them let out a horrid scream and their shot was diverted to blast through the wall behind her. Seems he was bitten by a cat.

Rita's teeth were clamped on the guy's leg. The fact that the shot missed, made everyone spring to life. Ralph ignored his injured leg and grabbed his night stick. Before he could use it however, it was blasted from his hand, leaving it steaming and looking like a lava monster had just taken a bite out of it. What strange guns they had!

Plotz was shaking where he stood, but he was far too angry to realize how scared he was it seemed. He clenched his fists and began shouting at them.

"How dare you invade my studio! I'll have you know that Speilberg-!"

"He's dead as soon as we can find him too." The Rabbit kicked Rita at Plotz' stomach and made them both tumble back. He took aim and was about ready to blow a hole through them both when Runt tackled him from the side. The lemur managed to avoid being bowled over by diving toward the center of the room.

"Ha. You're not having much luck today it seems! I'll handle it!" The lemur set his rifle to rapid fire and was about to let it go off… but his head impacted the wooden floor and made it rather impossible for him to do so. A large bump formed on his head and the occupants of the room looked to the side, recognizing what happened as an attack from the actual entryway.

"Come on! We gotta go!" Wakko stood there with a mallet slung over his shoulder. Seems he had entered the room just after the lemur managed to roll to a stop. Not surprising they didn't notice considering how sudden and spastic this all was.

Plotz really didn't care who it was that saved them. He just wanted so many things at the same time that his emotions wouldn't allow what he felt to make any sense.

"What in blue blazes is going on here?! Are you behind this Warner!" Plotz pointed his stubby finger in Wakko's face.

"I-" Wakko was about to explain what he could when a stomp came up from behind, making them both jerk around in anxiousness.

"We don't have time for stupid accusations." Dot was in the doorway now, having been the one who scared them with her sudden presence.

"Indeed." Another voice came from the top of Wakko's hat. Plotz jolted and looked up to see a small white mouse sitting on top of his head. "We gotta go with fastness! Run away like little girls to the safest regions of … somewhere away from this place!" Pinky tried hard to find a way to relay what he needed to say correctly, which was a hell of a time to try.

Runt gripped his teeth around the downed rabbit's shirt and dragged him along.

"We're taking him with us." Rita asserted.

"Wah?" Plotz turned toward her. "I don't want-"

"It's a lot smarter to capture someone and interrogate them later than to just leave and not have any way of finding out what nonsense is befalling our precious studio." Rita immediately shot back.

Plotz was about to shuffle out a complaint but he stopped when he realized that it wasn't something he wanted to disagree with. Blast!

_BOOM!_

Everyone in the room almost fell over from a sudden explosion taking place outside. They were running amok and destroying everything. What was the deal?

"Duh… are they trying to flush us out?" Ralph asked, with a finger to his lip.

"They seem to be going from building to building with the intention of killing anyone they can find. There aren't many people here so the takeover should be relatively easy to finish." Rita spoke up.

"Both these guys are down. Let's take their jeep and just burst through the fence on out of here!" Dot scrambled past them and tried to start it up. "After we pick up Slappy and Skippy!"

"OH! Dr. Scratchnsniff!" Hello Nurse blurted out.

"GRAH! And where the hell is HE?!" Plotz stomped his foot. The place shook when yet another explosion went off. He almost fell over that time.

"It doesn't matter. We'll find him and get everyone to safety… no… I'll find him. You guys hotwire the jeep and go after Slappy. I know he's most likely in his office." Wakko slung his mallet up and set Pinky down next to Buttons.

"W-Wait?! By yourself?! You can't-" Dot began before Wakko rushed over and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Don't worry. I'm not about to let you lose another brother. I'll be back." He grinned and ran out of the building before she could offer up a second protest.

"You heard the lad. Back these jeep out of the wall!" Plotz pressed forward and got inside along with the others coming up.

Dot let out a shaky sigh and started the jeep up, furiously ramming her foot on the peddle in reverse. It shot out of the wall and rammed into one of the invading toons, sending him crashing through one of the garage walls.

"Did we hit someone?" Hello Nurse asked.

"If we did than back up and hit em again." Plotz offered.

"Ignore him. Keep going forward." Rita sat next to Dot and ordered. You didn't even need to tell her twice. She pressed on the gas and swerved around the garage buildings toward the one Slappy was temporarily calling her home.

* * *

"He should be fine. It doesn't look like he's been severely injured. This Beans fellow must've been in a hurry." Brain was about done examining Skippy. The stuff written in red was paint and not his blood. When, or if, she ever saw the guy again she wouldn't be able to promise that it won't be his blood spilled in actuality.

She was seething mad. She had to regain control over herself though. As of right now she was gathering together a few essentials. A medical kit and a lot of easily packable camping equiptment was easily stuffed into a tiny briefcase and carried back out to where Brain was looking Skippy over.

She hoisted the boy up and over her shoulder with one arm, grimacing a bit as she looked at his slightly flattened tail. The anvil steam pressed it well.

"That guy isn't going to have a happy ending, let me tell ya." Slappy grunted out, kicking the garage door open and instantly not taking another step forward.

The jeep that was speeding toward her at the time she opened the door would've smacked her if she did. So much careless driving in such an enclosed place was good for no one's health.

She was about ready to kick the thing over and strangle who ever was inside. The only thing that stopped her was the fact that Plotz' mouth was faster than her feet.

"Hurry up and get in!" He shouted, pointing to the back seat.

Slappy leered up at the jeep in front of her garage. It was one of the invading ones of course, but it housed all her former co-workers. Not the most pleasant of surprises in normal, everyday life terms but here it works.

"Alright. We better be off to bulldoze these losers." Slappy hoisted Brain up and lightly tossed him in before climbing into the back seat herself. She barely had time to settle herself before the jeep took off once again, almost jerking Skippy from her grasp. "Hey, hey! Watch it!" She scolded.

Dot looked ahead, extremely focused on going back around to get Wakko. Spending time away from him in a situation like this didn't sit well with her. She was going to close the gap in time from when she would meet up with him again and fast. She needed him around. She needed _both_ of them around!

Slappy took notice of who was driving and recognized the Warner sister, being extremely frantic with her twists and turns of the vehicle. She was about to ask what her deal was when Hello Nurse surprised her by taking Skippy into her arms.

"Oh my! What happened to the poor child?" She asked, looking his unconscious body over. Removing a small patch of fur on Skippy's head revealed a light purple mark. Slappy's eyes widened a tad. She hadn't caught that. Brain had, but they left too quickly for her to be told about it once she came back with the supplies.

"… Hmm… he was ambushed. That's what happened." Slappy sat down with her arms crossed, not feeling well about giving the nurse an answer like that. It was terrible just thinking about the implications behind what had taken place.

"Enemies off the port bow." Ralph called out suddenly. They all looked behind them and saw several jeeps taking up their rear. They were dangerously close too.

"Pick up the passe'. We're being tailed!" Slappy shouted.

"This IS their machinery correct. Surely they have something on this thing to give them an unfair advantage in a situation like this." Brain jumped toward the front where Dot was driving.

"I'm already on that. Just stay calm!" Dot blurted out, grabbing everyone's attention. She looked over in the side view mirror and growled. The jeeps were close. But no one was going to keep her from her brothers any longer than they already had! Enough was enough! She was the Warner sister! She didn't just let stuff like this happen to her!

One of the jeeps rammed into the back of their jeep, just as another building to their left was demolished. Plotz would've been screaming his head off about it had his life not have been in danger.

Buttons clamped his teeth around Mindy's suspenders to keep her inside the jeep. She was way too close to the edge and the constant jolting of the vehicle wasn't helping matters.

The jeep behind them rammed into them again! This time it almost made them all jump. Hello Nurse, held Skippy close to her body. Dot grinded her teeth and clenched her palms around the steering wheel. She was still trying to think of a maneuver out of this and this bumper cars nonsense was throwing her concentration off!

It wasn't until one of the passengers of the jeep behind them took out a bazooka that her brain went on autopilot and told her to just do the first crazy thing that came to mind.

"Gotcha toon stars!" The crazy toon with the unnecessarily large weapon in hand fired at them at such a close range! It would no doubt blow their own jeep up as well. But again, these people were for the mission and only the mission. They cared not if they died.

The second the shot was fired, Dot jerked hard to the right. It was close enough a miss that she managed to not lose anyone to the explosion that happened once the weapon struck the ground. However, the jerking of the jeep almost sent both Mindy and Buttons flying over the edge. Runt managed to wrap his paws around Buttons' waist to toss him back in though. This thing was big enough to fit them all but the problem was this war zone they were at the center of. It sucked… to say the very damn least.

Dot was now going in the opposite direction because of the swerve she just made. The explosion from the bazooka actually pushed their jeep forward a bit while the other seemed to skid to a stop inside the ball of flame it made. She would've wondered if they were okay had it not immediately exploded afterward.

Ahead of her were two more jeeps. The fact that they were still in danger was at the corner of her mind. She was going the wrong way away from where she knew Wakko was headed because of that little stunt. She quickly rotated the wheel around and jerked it back into her previous direction. The action caused her passengers to clamp onto the seats hard to keep from losing control while the jeep that was closest to them was whacked by the back end of Dot's vehicle. It ended up skidding in front of the remaining enemy jeep and they both slammed into each other while Dot took off.

She let out a strained breath as she rounded the corner of another garage, effectively cutting off the enemies sight of them.

She was panting and sweating rather hard. Everyone else were pretty much doing the same.

"You need lessons it seems." Rita muttered, retracting her claws from the cushion.

Dot focused her attention straight ahead. She was on her way and nothing was stopping her.

"DOC! Doctor Scratchnsniff!" Wakko shouted and ran down the long hallway toward the doctor's office. He was in a slight panic as to be expected. There was no reason to feel any kind of hint of a sense of relief doing something like this. Wondering if he was too late or even if the doctor was there was just making his breaths come faster which in turn was wearing him out.

Wakko skidded to a stop at the door. He wanted to just go in, grab the doc, and get to safety. Actually, what he really wanted was a soda but that wasn't taking into account the situation so whatever.

"SCRATCHY!" Wakko shouted, kicking the door open.

Wakko looked all around and trotted inside. He started sweating a bit harder. He could hear jeeps coming up and he just knew this exact place was their destination. There was no doubt!

But where was Dr. Scratchnsniff?!

"Oh… is that you Wakko…?"

Wakko chimed up, instantly ecstatic to hear that wonderful accent ringing in his ears again.

"You're here!? Wh-where…?" Wakko turned around and saw the door screeching closed. He stuck out his tongue with a sheepish smile. Of course.

Scratchnsniff was flattened behind the opened door.

The middle Warner ran over and grabbed his arm, peeling him off the wall. The doctor shook himself until he was officially normal sized again.

"Ah. That's better." Scratchnsniff had missed accidental physical abuse from the Warners.

Wait, no he didn't.

"Come on Scratchy!" Wakko was still holding onto the doctor's hand, jumping up and down anxiously. "We gotta go! Urgently!"

Dr. Scratchnsniff sighed with fervor and a bit of tiredness hinted in his voice. What was this going to be about now? Was the Warner insanity returning?

Was Wakko trying to force himself to remain happy in his brother's absence?

"Okay, okay. We'll go. Where are we going?" The doctor let Wakko take him from the room and down the hall.

"Any place but this lot. We've gotta escape. Now!" Wakko sounded serious. What kind of game was this?

"Uh, listen Wakko, we're not allowed to-"

"Betcha anything we are now!"

_BOOM!_

_CRASH!_

Two horrid sounds that made both their hearts almost leap out of their chests went off like a ton of dynamite.

"What on Earth was-?!" Scratchnsniff was visibly shaken. It sounded like an actual invasion alright. Like a terrorist had just set off a bomb or something to that effect. But what was getting to him was how loud the rumbling was. The closer it was getting, the more jittery he and Wakko got.

Wakko already knew what it meant though, but when they turned the corner that didn't keep him from being surprised.

A long stretch of hallway was all that was keeping them from the exit. However, in their way was the unpleasant allure of yet another angry jeep.

This one only had one toon inside of it. He looked like a zebra with an eye-patch. These discarded toon designs seemed more lazier and half-baked the more he saw them. At least with Wakko you couldn't tell what exactly he was supposed to be.

If that's a good thing. He thought it was.

"Come along guys! The morgue is waiting!" The zebra said laying back with a smirk and revving the engine with a twisted sense of delight evident on his face.

Wakko wanted to slug that twisted grinning face of his inward. He couldn't though. They needed an escape.

"Now look here! This studio is closed and we will not allow you to trespa-" Scratchnsniff tried taking a step forward to express assertiveness but the crazy loon slammed on the gas and started to dart down the hallway, making the doctor jump and scurry back. "Perhaps we is to be finding a new exit?"

The jeep was so thick that it was literally scrapping the side walls away as it drove fast towards them.

Wakko stood his ground and kept a firm grip on his mallet. "No way. I'm not going out like a punk!"

"You misunderstand. I'm suggesting something that won't have us going out at all." The doctor tried in vain to appeal to that rare sensible side to Wakko… but being honest with himself would've told him that once his mind was made up, there was no turning back from going with his idea.

The jeep was a few inches away!

"WAKKO!" Scratchnsniff shouted with a crack in his stuttering voice.

"GOTCHA!" Wakko shouted and slammed the mallet onto the front end of the jeep! The zebra smirked as the jeep's front part was smeared into the ground and sent a jolt that split it right down the middle. It didn't do a thing to stop the momentum! The rest of it was still headed right for them.

That didn't matter though. There was an opening!

Wakko grabbed Scratchnsniff's arm and squeezed through the split down the jeep's center as it rocketed past them straight down the remainder of the hall. Wakko and Scratchnsniff shuffled out of danger by a hair and turned to watch the split in half jeep carry the rest of its momentum down the hall and observed the fireball that resulted from it crashing into the wall at the end of it.

"Wow. Military grade jeeps are no match for cartoon mallets. But I guess we already knew that." Wakko jeered, cockily.

Scratchnsniff just fixed his glasses and stared down the hall with a look of entranced disbelief.

"… So can you tell me please what's going on now?!" He almost screamed, making Wakko jump.

"Oh. Right. Well. Like I said. We're being invaded." Wakko knew he could put that into much better words… but he couldn't do it urgently and for the doctor's benefit it seemed.

As soon as Scratchnsniff raised his hand and was about to ask for a more clear explanation, a jolt that shook the building and made them both hang onto something took place.

"I know you're still alive so hurry out with Scratchy and let's GO!"

That was his little sister's voice. Of course! If it wasn't those goons than who else would crash a jeep at the side of their P-sychiatrist's office?

Dot sat in the front seat, staring intently at the front door.

They all watched it too…

… because there was a hole through it the size of a jeep.

Kinda unsettling…

"We exist!" Wakko produced himself and the good doctor at his side for all to see. The people in the jeep clapped and whistled (except for Plotz) and the two made their way down the ruined steps like celebrities.

"So Wakko tells me there's an invasion?" Scratchnsniff asked as he scooted inside. Another explosion followed by the unmistakable crash and demolishment of a building followed that statement.

"Erm… yeah, you could say that. Sounds more like a really fine-tuned renovation though." Rita joked.

Dot gave Wakko a quick hug as he sat next to her on the opposite side that Rita was. She stepped on the gas and didn't even bother heading back for the main gate. All those jeeps had demolished the surrounding fence without so much as putting a scratch on themselves.

She headed for the gate as well. It was for the sake of not having to run into anyone else trying to kill them.

"Hey! What are you! The exit's-" Plots stammered.

"-Being blocked by loonatics!" Dot shouted and burst through the fence! The pieces of wire and metal scattered all over and they all had to shut their eyes to keep from letting the shrapnel strike their sensitive orbs.

"It feels like we're forgetting someone." Hello Nurse spoke up, holding Skippy close to her. The others blinked and mentally scratched their heads. The people they had seemed like a lot…

"Three someones ya mook."

Dot almost did a prat fall when she heard that voice. Of course! She forgot they were even ON the lot considering they never talked to anybody.

Scratchnsniff looked up and saw the Goodfeather's perched on his head. Bobby was the one that spoke.

"Excuse me. Could you maybe latch your birdie claws onto the side of the metal car?" The doctor sounded instantly irritated. He had just been flung into this situation with barely any time to process the fact that they had been run off of the studio for goodness sake. The devastation hadn't had time to sink in yet and already he was being used for comedic foil.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Down boys." Bobby sighed and led his team off the Doc's head and onto the top of the seat rather than the easy to fall off of edge of the car. Seems like a no brainer to remain standing on something comfortable and more inside the vehicle.

Dot managed to get onto the main road now, swerving a bit to avoid other cars that didn't see her stolen jeep coming.

"Where did you three come from?" Brain asked, feeling a tad irritable himself, though for different reasons than Scratchnsniff had.

"We were on our way to inform you of the invading platoons but, seems you found out the hard way." Squit spoke up first.

"Yeah, you were all, yelling and screaming and running about and split up and then together again and then split up again! It was crazy!" Pesto grumbled.

"So we waited until you guys decided you had enough baggage to hitch a ride." Bobby concluded, not feeling all too proud about their actual contribution to helping out within this conflict. Which is to say, they watched everyone dart about in fear while they were safe, hovering in the skies.

"Well whatever. It's nothing new considering it's you." Slappy was looking at a map in the back pocket of the goon they tied up and took with them.

"I'm so glad you're all so talkative. I'm virtually speechless. My legacy is going up in smoke! I mean look at that!" Plotz grumbled and whined as he looked out the back seat. The smoke from the destruction behind them wasn't a huge plume but it was enough to signal the fall of his beloved lot. It wasn't HIS specifically… but it might as well have been.

"Speechless. Uh-huh." Rita groaned, plopping her head to the side of the door. "Please let this be an intervention I could learn to like…

* * *

It was so strange.

Out of nowhere, jeeps had just burst through the studio grounds and started wrecking everything in their path. Toons apart of a hidden group were all showing off how destructive and crazed they had become thanks to the studio downsizing and the destruction of lives that they had to face with their forced retirements…

That was a problem all to itself though.

The surrounding area was empty and full of dirt. The road they were on before stopping to set up camp was seemingly endless. They were all going down a one-way street without a cause…

Or so it looked like anyway. To the escapees of the Warner Brothers studio takeover, they mostly didn't have a clue what they were doing or how they would go about securing themselves anymore. Slappy had given them a direction and Dot followed it, because in the end, Ms. Squirrel wasn't one to take things lying down. And seeing as how they all now had a bone to pick with these guys, there was no way the end of this was going to fall in the favor of the monsters who did this to them.

The goon they had taken with them woke up a little while later. After some coaxing from Slappy and a bit of a bitter smack-down from Skippy of all people, the guy managed to cough up at least a more clear motivation behind taking the lot over.

That wasn't what she cared about though. She already knew it was for the sake of securing that Water Tower. What she needed to know were what the symbols on the makeshift map she had meant.

"Brain said something earlier about the hideout for these goons being some place underground I think." Slappy talked to herself as she overlooked the crumpled up piece of paper. It was indeed as makeshift as a map could get with marking all over it and red pen highlighting where one small area was with regards to another in the laziest way possible.

Whatever though. This thing led to their hideout. She was certain of that and there wasn't a single chance that she'd let this slip through her fingers. Slappy sat basically alone, on top of the goon's back as her own makeshift seat, trying to figure this out.

The rest of the people around the camp in the middle of nowhere tried to make the best of the fact that there was nothing but dirt around on all sides and that the dead of night was pretty much upon them. The provisions that the jeep had been stalked with were few but plenty enough to supply them with something.

Hello Nurse had finished fixing up Skippy shortly after they stopped the jeep here. Currently, she was sitting with Ralph and trying to make sure his leg was alright.

"Alright. Now make sure it doesn't get too much action alright." She warned him.

"How do I security guards the place if I don't give me feets action though?" Ralph shrugged.

"… Well, for one thing we're not at the studio anymore. I think we can pretty much assume that you're relieved from duty for now." She explained.

"Oh… well den I best gets home to my wife and kid…" Ralph looked down the long stretch of road. "… Which way is home?"

Hello Nurse sighed.

Plotz felt like a homeless person. He had set up a tent and was lurking all around it and inspecting. He was trying to make sure it was completely devolved of anything that would ruin its appeal. Of course, since it was just a small tent, hastily set up in the dirt, it wasn't going to be devoid of things he found unappealing. Like the fact that it didn't come with a heater.

"Confoundit thing! Blasted tent won't stop drooping 12 degrees to the left! What a useless sack of crap!" He clenched his fists tightly as he stared at it venomously. What was he doing here?! Hello?! CEO of the Warner Brothers Studio?! Ring a bell!? Why was he out here setting up a stupid camping tent? ANYONE?!

Mindy was managing fine. Before this all happened, they had made their way over with their own camping materials of course. They had to do it by themselves on the way over so now wasn't much different aside from a chance of scenery. She and Buttons snuggled together under the tent and tried to force themselves to get some well-deserved rest. It did neither of them any good to be so stressed out considering how innocent their roles were.

The Goodfeathers were fiddling with the radio that the jeep came with. Rita was playing a guessing game with a bored Runt while they kept crackling the stations on that thing and making her lose her train of thought. She was thinking about eating them up honestly. And what was with those accents?

"This station seems to be coming in." Squit spoke up when a clearer sound was echoing through the small radio on the ground.

"Amazing. There's actually a signal coming in from this neck of the… neck of the dirt." Bobby changed his saying with one quick look of their surroundings. If they weren't already here, he'd say it'd be impossible for a place to be this baron and empty. Not a single car had passed by for 3 hours.

Finally, on a small log, Wakko sat staring at the ground with his head in his hands. Skippy was sitting on the dirt next to a fire that they managed to get going from a light a few pieces of wood stashed in the back of the jeep. It looked like construction pieces of timber but whatever. It was fire fodder now.

"Hmm… alright." Brain walked up to Wakko with Pinky by his side. He was holding a really tiny scroll of paper. "According to this the enhancer that I told you to pick up before we left the lab should have enough power to sustain the jeep as we make our way along this long… empty… scary looking road to… wherever it is Ms. Squirrel says we're going."

"That's nice…" Wakko let out a sigh. Across from him, on the dirt was wear Dot sat. She was mixing some of the food that had been in the trunk of the jeep with a small cracked bowl and the stub of a piece of wood. Hopefully this would be a nice enough gesture for her troubled big brother.

She didn't know what this mush she was making was but Wakko pretty much ate anything so whatever. Maybe it would taste like a masterpiece to him. She really didn't know.

One thing was clear though. Wakko was depressed. He was depressed. And he shouldn't be depressed because he's Wakko.

She looked up and stopped mixing when she heard him let out a small chuckle before going quiet again.

"It's kinda ironic… didn't he try his best to keep this from being our fate? One look around and I can already tell I'd hate to be totally homeless…" Wakko muttered the statement out with a clear sense of distain behind his voice. That was simply terrible.

"We're going to settle this Wakko." Dot spoke across to him. The two mice and the kid squirrel silenced themselves. Pinky was about to start dribbling his lip but sensed the tension and decided to lay off.

"I can't believe these freaks live so far away. I don't know what I'll do when I see them… when I see Buster…" Wakko grumbled. He lifted his head and he started to clench his fists. His fingers almost cut through his gloves, he was so angry. He didn't want to totally lose it and start threatening to kill anyone though. That wasn't going to help a damn thing…

Positivity. His older brother… Yakko, knew all about that. He knew how to handle situations. Just don't lose yourself and force your way through the conflict. Whoever those people were, whatever they're after, how they were able to invade the lot, and what they needed to do in order to get it back would be revealed in due time.

"Hey uh… Warner kid… you might wanna listen to this…" Bobby spoke up and ushered himself on over to the group with Squit and Pesto dragging the radio along.

"What is it?" Wakko asked looking down at the device, feigning interest.

'_- ank you for the explanation. We know everyone humbly appreciates your honesty Detective Shorenay.'_

Wakko felt his heart ache just hearing that guy's name. He wanted to punch someone in the face now. Still, what was that jerk doing on the radio?

'_Yes. It's been confirmed already. No worries. As he's already attacked a few of his fellow inmates I see no reason to continuously treat him like a child either. It's a good thing my suggestion carried through.'_

Alright, now what was this suggestion he had? Who was he talking about? The Goodfeathers knew. The radio had already brought up the name…

…But not the penalty.

'_This will be swept under the rug in due time. The world will be given exactly 6 days to recount their memories with the Warner children of old before the penalty passes.'_

He was talking about them. No wait. Penalty? Was it… about his brother?

'And on the sixth day they'll let it come to pass. No shortcuts because he's a child. The law is already too lenient on toons as it is.'

What was this lunatic trying to-

'_That'll be the day Yakko Warner is officially put to death. Good day everyone.'_

The bowl Dot was mixing hit the dirt.

Not a sound was heard after though.


	16. Motive

_**Time for another trip down disaster lane. There's more trouble ahead and the wheels of fate are movin'. They're movin' baby.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 16: Motive**_

"What?!" Nearly everyone shouted with bewilderment at the plan suggestion from the old squirrel they had just confined to for advice.

"You heard what I said." Slappy asserted her position. She was always assertive and there was no reason she would change that now.

Dot was in a fit of panic. She didn't even stop to consider why Slappy had suggested what she did before stepping toward her, speaking in a loud frantic voice.

"I don't understand! Why shouldn't we go to prison first? Yakko only has 6 days! He can't die! We're not gonna let-!" Dot's voice rang out like a cracked church bell. Slappy quickly stomped her foot in the sand. It was enough for the little girl to get quiet long enough for the old woman to share her piece.

"We're not going to the prison to save him. Not right away at least. We can't." Slappy reiterated again.

Wakko's heart was thumping rather fast. He'd be like Dot if he hadn't learned over time the virtue of actually taking in what you're being told instead of speaking out against it on impulse. Seems he had to learn that the hard way though.

"A-And why can't we Slappy?" Wakko asked, calm and collected, despite the sweat pouring down the side of his face. All of it was from worry.

Slappy sighed and leaned her arm against the side of the jeep. Inside it, Brain was fiddling around with its engine, trying to upgrade it with the enhancer he had told Wakko to pick up. Should it work correctly, worrying about giving this thing gas would be a moot issue.

Slappy eyed Brain's direction for a second before turning back to the others to explain. "Think about the situation we're in here. We've got _one_ jeep. It's a military enhanced jeep with good battery ramming power, sure, but its small potatoes against the personnel and security a prison is supposed to have. Charging in with just this isn't going to be enough and will most definitely get us captured and arrested too. I've been to prison a few times. They really don't play. Too bad for them, I also don't play. You can see why I always got off early for "good behavior" but that's neither here nor there-"

"We already knew it was going to be hard!" Dot was frustrated. Why was Slappy stopping their effort to tell them something like that? "But we can formulate a plan! We can-"

"Do you know what kind of security this particular prison has?" Slappy asked.

"Well… no, but we-" Dot started.

"Do you know where everyone is stationed there? Do you know the usual in-workings of the generic definition of a prison even?" Slappy tapped her foot.

"I… I _don't_… but I-" Dot began to sweat and look down at her feet.

"Do you even know what prison they took him too?" Slappy's arms were crossed.

"… No…"

"And if you did, would you know how to get there?"

"… …"

"Yeah. Uh-huh." Slappy muttered slouching against the jeep. Dot was sniffling where she stood now. Wakko quickly went over to pat her back in comfort.

"Sheesh. What a load of malarkey! I can't even begin to imagine what they're doing to that kid in there." Plotz growled and repeatedly tapped his own foot. He felt irritated being here.

Rita eyed the Warner siblings and turned her gaze to Slappy. "So… you do have a counter measure to that hopelessness you laid down on us correct?"

Slappy reached into the trunk of the jeep and pulled out the henchman they had escaped with from before. He was conscious now, though very grumbly and tired. He had a bit of a black eye too. From where, no one can say.

"Tell us your name." Slappy said.

"Tippy."

"And? Relay the news you so very kindly gave to me."

"… Our base… isn't far off from here…" He looked sad and ashamed saying this. Scratchnsniff in particular made out a tear at the corner of his eye.

"Their base?" Squit's eyes widened. "Oh man. Heavy stuff."

"Yeah. You heard right. And that's our new destination." Slappy said, dropping the drained toon on the ground in front of her.

Dot shot her head up in surprise. "Wait. We're going there?! To the place where they got all those jeeps to attack us and used to take over the Warner Brothers studio?"

"Fantastic!" Plotz cut through the air with his hyped and revenge driven aura. "That's a destination I can truly get behind. Ooooh! They're going to pay for this! Each and every last one of them!"

"Now hold on a second! You can't be serious!" Hello Nurse put her hand on Plotz' shoulder and turned to look at the squirrel. "Dot is right isn't she? Wouldn't they be just as dangerous as going to the prison?"

"No. Not even close." Slappy shot back, immediately. That surprised pretty much everyone. "The people who attacked us? They had all this machinery and military based weapons… but they were all stolen. There do exist weapons within the military that far exceed the prototypes these jokers got away with. Couple that with how they do their jobs in a way that doesn't care if they get killed and is done for the sake of catering to a certain group of people, we can also rule out that many were crazy enough to even join in the crusade."

"I'm not sure I get it." Bobby grumbled. This Squirrel was speaking Chinese as far as he was concerned.

"The people who attacked us weren't affiliated with any sort of government or army that has easy access to weapons like that. They aren't an army. They're a cult." Slappy spoke with reverence, eyeing the defeated and now full on crying toon at her foot.

"A cult…" Wakko repeated. That word just made his spine tingle.

"And as a cult is caters to a very specific group. Toons who were screwed over in some way by a studio or the television industry or the world as a whole… that are also crazy enough to take on any mission given to them by their leader and not care about whether they die or not doing it." Slappy felt the words coming out of her mouth. It made her literally want to vomit just so her tongue could taste different from the way it did while she was saying all this.

"But why do that? Life is good!" Runt barked. "Life is real good! Isn't it Rita?"

Rita smiled lightly. "Yes Runt. Life is good…"

Though, it did feel weird saying that all of a sudden.

"Yeah well, life can be viewed differently by a lot of people." Slappy spoke back.

Scratchnsniff lightly scratched the side of his head. "The ones who leave their studios in a dishonorable way or simply leave when it was their time to go whether they were ready to go or not… those are the kinds of people who make up this group ya? As a p-sychiatrist, it's hard to not emphasize with their feelings." He knew he was saying this about the people that pretty much caused the Warners misfortune, however, Wakko and Dot understood what he meant.

This was just a cycle. Hatred and misfortune can and will affect more than just one person, especially if the circumstances behind it are stronger than normal. People lose their minds when the prospects in life that they love are taken from them and they do whatever they can to get it back.

And if they can't get it back one of two things happen. The anger will make them turn to revenge for the sake of retribution concerning what they lost. Or the sadness will overtake them and their lives won't hold any meaning anymore.

In this case, it seems as though it was both. And that culminated into something that was truly terrifying.

"When we head to their base, we'll be able to have access to more materials than just this should we invade it properly. With mister reluctant rabbit here, we'll be able to have actual knowledge on what we're invading. There's more likely than not a chance that there will be ways to get onto the internet and find out which prison they took Yakko to as well, since releasing info like that isn't confidential. And there's no way it would be with Yakko being as famous as he is, let me tell you." Slappy explained.

Now it made sense.

"Invading a high security prison with just a jeep sounds hard. Invading a cult that has no way of knowing we're coming sounds like fun though." Bobby grinned.

"I just love destroying people's personal freedoms, ya know?" Pesto grinned even wider than Bobby just did.

"There's no way this group of people has nearly as many people in it as we're thinking too." Brain spoke up, revealing himself after having just exited the engine. "There isn't a straight up army awaiting us as it's impossible for every toon in existence with a grudge to know that this particular cult exists. There has to be more than one of these kinds of groups out there too."

"So calm down and have some fish and chips!" Pinky interjected.

"Yes. Well… I'm not saying that we should straight on relax or anything…" Brain murmured a tad.

"What exactly is a cult?" Skippy asked stepping over to sit on a rock.

"The word "cult" generally refers to a group of people whose ideas and practices do not fit the "normal" relationship of ideas, beliefs, and practices that the majority of people in society have." Hello Nurse said.

"It could be a Girl Scout Cookie foundation for all I care. Those jokers are going down. Waaaay down. Ralph! Be sure to stand at the ready." Plotz spoke to the guard.

"Uhhhh, yes… sir sure… uh… sure sir…! …Yes sir!" He stammered.

Rita rolled her eyes and stepped up to Wakko and Dot. "So. Are you two game?"

Dot sighed and turned to the toon who was still sitting there crying on the ground. She looked at Rita and nodded before approaching him. Wakko jolted in surprise and was about to stop her, his reflex being that he figured the guy was still dangerous despite his current fit of tears.

But something made him stop… he didn't know what…

Dot got on one knee and stared the bunny in the face. The rabbit sniffled and looked up when he felt her presence. Shame overtook him again and he looked to the side, avoiding her gaze with his tear ridden one.

"You guys still have your humanity." Dot spoke up.

"… Nuh-uh… I'm a _rabbit._ Can't you tell?" The henchman choked out. They both knew what she meant by that of course.

"Your amity. Your willingness to be kind. Your willingness to show concern for other people and your own life. Whatever you call it. If you had it before than throwing it away is kind of hard right? You can say you don't care about your life anymore and go on suicide missions but at the end of the day your group is doing this because you were wronged by the world and you want to change it correct?" Dot asked.

The guy didn't answer.

"Whoever this guy you work for is… he probably feels that creating a rule where you can't join unless you're willing to die for the cause proves that his group is going to only be full of people who no longer care about their lives right?"

"We don't care about our lives anymore. Why risk your life if you cared about it still?"

"There's plenty of reasons why I would. Why, I'm about to right now. For the sake of my older brothers and their happiness. You guys do this either for revenge, which comes in because you care about _your _life and you want to right the wrong done to you by getting back at somebody ...or you're doing this to change the world so that _no-one else_ has to go through what you guys did, which just means you're doing it for the sake of the lives of other people. One situation has you fighting for your own happiness. The other has you fighting for the happiness of others. Either way, it's impossible for you to say that you don't care about life in either of those cases. And I bet you're crying because you're realizing how stupid it is that there's a cult that's trying to do either of those things while also saying that you can't join unless you don't care about your life." Dot was laying it down. Wakko was impressed.

The rabbit looked her up and down.

"… There really is no such thing as doing something like this without caring about your life or the lives of others in some way is there? When I joined I let myself get brainwashed with the idea that I could be some sort of soulless, heartless avenger who just didn't care anymore…" He banged the back of his head against the jeep he sat by.

"… What happened to you?" Dot asked.

"… Heh… been a while since someone cared enough to ask me that… nothing much. I was promised a position by this one studio and the stipulation was that I had to cancel the plans I had going at the studio I was currently working at. I declined it saying that it'd be more honorable to just finish up there and then come work for them. But that meant postponing the project so instead they got someone else. And as an added bonus, they contacted the studio I was currently working at and kicked me off before I could finish there anyway. Show was canceled. I had no place to go afterward and no one wanted someone from a show that didn't even get to finish its planned run…" He explained, tearing up again. Dot blinked, processing the info.

"You know… we're not against the idea of change either. We've been wronged too. But this isn't the right way. And whoever this leader of yours is, he's going to get it bad for crossing the Warner sister." Dot said, shooting him a serious glare. She was ready for war if need be.

The rabbit looked back at her and smiled. "Well… good luck to you… I'm done though… I think I truly don't even want to be a part of any of this anymore." He looked up at the sky, tears flowing from his eyes. "I don't want to be a part of anything anymore. I'm pretty sure I'd be content with just dying now…"

"… Well… I don't know what that feels like… and hopefully I won't. So long as I have my brothers or even just one of my friends, I think I'll have some sort of reason to keep going." Dot smiled and walked back to Wakko.

The rabbit sat there and slumped with his eyes closed. He knew she was right. At least she was to some degree. Different people were a part of this group for different reasons. Not everyone was as heartless as they appeared to be on the surface. However, there were people who were. Sometimes they were even more so.

There do exist people apart of their cult who care not for their lives or the lives of anyone else and simply wish to spread hatred and destruction for the sake of quick satisfaction. However, no one was forcing you to keep on living. It didn't make any sense.

If you didn't care about life anymore than why still choose to be alive?

Fear of what might be on the other side perhaps...?

"So did you just forgive him?" Wakko asked.

"The problem isn't just him. It goes beyond this cult. Our world is really screwed up Wakko." Dot said. Wakko nodded. No disagreement from him there.

"Yeah… and I… think I want to be a part of something that can fix it too." Wakko said.

"Changing the world. If anyone can do it, the Warner three can. We can do anything!" Dot grinned.

Wakko chuckled. "… Yeah… well… still, its kind of hard for me to overlook what these guys have done even if the world is in bad shape because of how toons in general are treated. That guy over there… I just have this urge to go over and slam a mallet on his head for everything his cult did to me and Yakko and the studio."

"Well… that one guy isn't the target of your aggression. That entire cult is. Sad story or not, we're not going to let them get away with taking over our lot, bribing Yakko, or torturing you. He's going to tell us everything he knows and if he refuses, we'll mallet him until he does." Dot said. "This isn't going down without us buckling down and fighting for the ending that we deserve."

"You sound like an army captain." Wakko grinned.

"TEN-TION!" Dot stood up straight and saluted Wakko… right before letting out a loud burp. "Oops. Shifted the bubbles in my stomach too quickly."

Wakko burst out in laughter right on the spot. He loved that. Seeing girls burp like that was always funny to him.

Dot smirked and then started giggling as well.

The two of them laughed across from each other for a significant amount of time before it died down. It felt natural, just having laughter die down after all this. However, they were amazed that they were able to do it at all. It'd be even better if Yakko was here…

Dot looked back at Wakko and the capped Warner gave a nod. "Let's do this."

* * *

The ride was surprisingly shorter than they expected it to be.

The long empty trail of sand and dust wasn't apart of civilization really. It was big and empty. It was just a long stretch of road that led to nowhere and didn't give off the feeling that they were really advancing.

The jeep had unlimited power thanks to Brain and Wakko's exploits though. Driving through the night, everyone slept soundly. The one driving was Ralph. Sleeping in the seat next to him was Plotz. Everyone else was in the back, asleep as well.

All except Wakko. The night air was cool but not overbearingly cold or uncomfortable. Dot slept on his lap, which made him feel at ease. The middle child looked out ahead, remembering the last words Yakko said to him and the ones he got to say back before he was arrested.

_"… Me… I think I may be going away forever… one way or another…"_

_"You'll never be far away from us Yakko. I'll make sure of it."_

He was going to make damn good sure of it.

His opportunity was finally arriving.

* * *

Morning came and the car stopped while overlooking a strange rock formation with a small clear opening to it.

"That's the place." Tippy the rabbit henchman informed them. "Just inside that rock space…"

"Alright! Which head should I pound first! It's been too long since I was hyped for something like this!" Plotz stamped forward and repeatedly pounded his fist into his palm.

"You're a liability Plotzy." Bobby grumbled. Plotz shifted his head toward the bird with a growl.

"What? Thaddeus J. Plotz is never a liability with anything that he does! I always succeed!" Plotz all but shouted.

"Even remembering stuff?" Squit asked a bit tweaked.

"Yes!" Plotz shot back.

"Then where's our final paychecks?" Pesto fired right back.

Plotz eyed the three of them and the coughed into his fist, walking ahead. "Anyway, let's hurry and do this."

"Ever get the feeling you were being played?" Bobby muttered as he saw the old man walk along.

Tippy watched Plotz walk and had to hold back from lashing out at him. He was one of them. One of those pompous, uncaring, money-grubbing studio heads that didn't give a rats behind about-

"Sheesh. And that's the guy who let us live in the Water Tower with reduced rent to pay?" Dot asked Wakko with a teasing grin.

"Yeah well, at least be grateful he was so lenient with _us_… especially considering how we like to _play_ with him… heheheh." The two of them walked ahead with the others.

The rabbit sat there, a look of confusion eminent on his face. Rent? Reduced pay? Just keeping a toon that wasn't working specifically for you on the lot would take money from his pocket. What studio head did that…?

"Alright! We're gonna go in and we're gonna go in hard!... Right?!" Skippy said excitedly turning to his aunt.

"Love the enthusiasm Skippy. Save it for all the pointless torturing we'll be doing!" Slappy grinned and the little brown squirrel shivered with more excitement.

"There IS a genuine plan you have here though right?" Rita asked.

"Yeah. First we need someone to stand guard and-" Slappy began.

"I can do that! That's like my specialty!" Ralph spoke up, clutching his badge.

"…Alright and we need someone to stay behind should we make it out with an injured-" Slappy started again.

"That'll be me." Hello Nurse spoke up.

Slappy blinked. "… Huh… we DO have a designated Guard and a Nurse… why was I worried about choosing who was stay behind to do those things…?"

"Can we go now. I'm smellin' them! I can totally smell em!" Runt growled.

"Not so fast fido. First we have to-" Slappy started once again but just as well was interrupted.

"Mindy and Buttons just scampered inside." Dot pointed out. Slappy just grinded her teeth at that. This wasn't going well at all.

"Alright. Screw it." Slappy grabbed Tippy by his bunny ears and hoisted him up. "We'll do this planning thing as we go. Lead the way and hurry so we can catch up with Mini-Carmen San-Diego." The rabbit nodded and pointed ahead.

And they were off.

* * *

Mindy had been all but quiet during the transpiring of all these events. She hadn't been adventurous, or smiley, or even all that intrusive to anything.

She trotted along, not really thinking about much. She was just looking instinctively for something that would make her happy. She got around the fact that her dad was always off at work and her mom was an uncaring, soulless monster by confiding in Buttons and teaching herself how to be a good camper. Then all this strange stuff started to happen.

Discovering Wakko's body in that dumpster, seeing the hospital go up in flames, seeing those buildings collapse and people get fired on and made to explode. All the frowning faces and all the tears she saw. It was all so sad.

When she got here she just wandered in, gathering that something was here worthy of looking into. That was all she really grasped, barely paying attention to all the depressing stuff everybody kept saying. She didn't know what was here but she hoped it was something that made her happy.

Buttons trailed right behind her, desperately trying to catch up to her fast childlike pace like he always did. She knew he did too. She was happy when she was with him. Wasn't that enough? She still felt sad despite that. Perhaps it was because Buttons was sad too. Neither of them could be happy if the other was sad. She needed to find something to make them happy again. Anything would do.

Buttons suddenly yipped behind her. Mindy stopped instantly after hearing her dogs shout of pain. She turned around to see if he was okay and made out a figure with his foot stamped on Buttons' tail. He snarled his teeth at the person but was lifted up by his tail.

"That's right. Keep hold of him buddy." A voice that made Mindy stand on end in surprise came from behind her. Before she could make haste and escape his arm wrapped around her neck and pulled her close to his body. Her wind pipe was being harmed and her struggles were frantic.

"I wonder who you came with little girl? I suppose I can only make an educated guess since our guys took over the Warner Brothers lot and we received a call-in saying that people on it during the attack had escaped. Not the smartest of moves you could've made…"

* * *

Wakko trudged ahead with his sister beside him and Dr. Scratchnsniff following from behind. The others walked around him in their own various positions. Still, their bodies did nothing to obstruct his view of this place.

He was here again. This was the underground base of operations that had caused them all so much trouble. It wasn't hard to get in… but it seemed all but impossible to escape. He remembered that hopelessness. He hadn't memorized where everything was or anything like that. Even if he could, why would he when his soul thought was the idea of being as far away from here as possible and never looking back?

Just looking at the walls and smelling this air was making him recall all the screams he was forced to make at being tortured by those monsters. He unknowingly began to wobble a bit as he walked, feeling dizzy. He was sweating a bit and breathing harder as well. He was starting to feel really sick…

Dot turned her gaze to her brother as they walked. She held her hand onto his arm to help him steady. She knew he was recounting the memories of being here before and it was making him go crazy. She did what she could to try and comfort him and Wakko was well aware that she was trying… but it wasn't working too well.

"This hallway is getting bigger. Is it just a straight shot?" Slappy asked Tippy.

"Yeah. Usually, we're all in the Rec-room watching T.V or in the technology hanger, watching simulations of what the machines we stole can do." Tippy said, remembering their fun little practices well. He wondered if he would actually be content just being a thief who lived together with other fallouts in an underground hovel…

"Usually. But not when we have intruders!"

That voice echoed from down the hallway. Whoever it was sounded like he knew they were coming too. That wasn't good. Not one single bit.

"Dammit. I should've known just finding this place and stealing stuff wasn't going to be a simple as walking forward." Slappy grumbled.

"We can take them Aunt Slappy!" Skippy said with confidence. He was feeling better than he was before and was raring for some revenge! Totally!

"Hey, hey. No need for you to_ take _anybody." The voice came closer to them all. They tensed up a bit and readied themselves in various ways. Rita and Runt prepared for an animal pounce. Dot clung to Wakko to try and remain as protective as she could to him due to his sickly state. The squirrels and the Goodfeathers stood up front, itching for a fight. Scratchy stood in the back, itching to escape.

"Why exactly is there no need? Eh bub?" Bobby asked, taking a step forward.

The figure was close enough for his presence to be identified. Behind him were two other generic toons. There were several genuine shocks that came about when the figures from the shadows revealed themselves.

One henchman behind the main guy in the front was holding Buttons upside down by his tail. The dog was trying to reach out and snatch at the smaller guy in front of them but just couldn't reach. The second henchman by his side held a rifle.

But the main one who had done the talking was where the culmination of surprise was. The target of Buttons' frantic aggression was him. There was Mindy, barely struggling for air in the grasp of a kid barely that much taller than her.

"You… seriously…?" Slappy snarled at him once she recognized who he was.

"I don't… believe it…" Rita muttered.

Even Wakko felt a bit deceived by what this was. He hadn't seen this kid here back when he was being held captive at this hell hole before.

"Yup. Shocking I know. But it makes the most sense you know? You can't be THAT surprised." He said back to them all, running a hand through his brown hair before fluffing his black jacket.

What a sight for sore eyes. There he was after all this time.

Montana Max.

"Thanks for visiting me guys. Our leader will see you now." He grinned.

The party that stood in front of him didn't know what to make of any of this. Wakko just felt a pulse through his system. Another Tiny Toons member was here. He remembered Buster saying something akin to still being around another of the old gang but didn't want to mention him by name. Probably because his name disgusted him quite a great deal despite their intentions being seemingly the same.

"… Why… even if you ARE a jerk, why this? Aren't you rich?" Dot asked.

Max felt a pang of anger snip at the side of his head. He had the urge to bludgeon her to death just for bringing up his money.

"… Yeah well, all good things must come to an end. Don't think for a second that I want to talk about it." Max snarled.

"Neither do we. Let the girl go." Slappy ordered.

"Make me."

It's been a long time since someone said that to Slappy Squirrel and weren't being paid to do so in a cartoon. She reached into her bag and revealed the large weapon she had extracted from the Acme labs.

"Trust me. This thing can fry your bones quicker than it will take for you to squeeze the life out of her. She won't feel a thing, but as for you… well, no one would miss ya. I promise you that." Slappy didn't feel like playing around. Too many people were crossing her lately and this was just the icing on the cake.

Max grunted with a really focused sneer at Slappy. He was analyzing her and he didn't like what his mind was processing. It wasn't fear. That same amount of disgust she felt for him, he adamantly felt for her. All of them even.

Still… lashing out and making waves. That wasn't what he needed to do right now. These people didn't understand. Not one thing. Time to shed a little light.

He let Mindy go.

She dropped onto her rear and coughed, grasping at her neck and letting tears spill from her eyes. Max snapped his fingers and the henchman behind him dropped Buttons. The dog fell on his stomach but shot up and scrambled to get to Mindy's side. Max didn't even spare the two of them a second glance. He didn't need to choke up his lunch, watching the girl hug her dog and cry softly into his fur. Gross.

"That's a good boy. You're not as stupid as you look… " Slappy said, not lowering the weird looking gun.

"You know, believe it or not. I didn't come to meet you guys here at a standstill to fight or capture you." Max couldn't help eyeing Wakko. Wakko, pretty much immediately, felt this twinge of anger and sickness well up as bile in the pit of his stomach. That intense feeling came just from looking at Max's stubby face.

"We came to clarify a few things." Max said, managing to shift his gaze back toward the center, so that it would look as though he was addressing everyone. "We received word from the people who invaded your studio that there were people who had escaped in one of our jeeps. Considering your options, it was probably best to assume you may have been on your way here. At least that's what the boss said. I didn't think so, because there was no way they had the foresight to capture one of our guys. And even if they did, he surely wouldn't say anything. Guess that goes to show how commited some people are to treating this as if their lives were no longer relevant." Max growled at Tippy, who was standing beside Slappy, his arms restrained.

The rabbit grimaced. He didn't like Max and after his loss he no longer really cared about the group but at the same time it felt too awkward looking at him and acknowledging yet another failure to his life's record.

Max sighed. "The boss knows. He knows how people tick. He knows not everyone can just willingly give up their personal freedoms and attachment to staying alive. I totally could though. Revenge is like the best thing in the world."

"I thought your money was." Dot chimed in. She was searching for a hot button and without missing a beat Max snapped.

"Shut the fuck up about my money ya skank!" His pupils dilated. Dot shut her mouth. Imagine her surprise at how quickly she didn't feel like yanking his chain anymore.

"Wh-What about your boss anyway?" Wakko took a step forward. His mind was starting to feel a tad clouded. "Who… why is all this…?"

"Missed me the last time you were here. And Buster too." Max said with a smile. "Tragedy ain't it? What happened to you. Don't be too sour at me personally though. It's not like those were my ideas."

"I don't want to think about that right now. I want to know about-" Wakko started.

"You sound really frail and defeated. Whenever you spoke on the show, your voice was all bubbly and happy and stuff. Turning emo are we?" Max grinned.

Wakko scrunched up his face. This guy wanted him to get mad. He wanted him to mallet him through the dirt and all the way to China…!

"Oh yeah. That Animaniacs show. The boss can't stop watching it. He has re-runs of it on all the damn time. Just him in that poorly lit room, watching away. He's a real big fan of yours. No joke." Max held up his arms.

Wakko couldn't even make out what a joke was anymore at this point. He figured it was something that was supposed to make him laugh. That didn't sound funny. It sounded creepy.

"He's a fan? Well, could've fooled me. Not many people take to torturing the people they're a fan of." Wakko inquired.

"He didn't do it." Max shrugged.

"Don't tell me he didn't know it was happening though. None of you are innocent." Wakko felt his fists clenching and unclenching. Scratchnsniff wanted to stand by Wakko and do his doctor thing to calm the Warner down. However, everyone could tell by Wakko's demeanor that he wanted this confrontation. No one felt that after what he had endured he should be completely denied that right by anyone.

"Fine. We're not innocent." Max shrugged once more. "But you kind of have to see it through his point of view."

"Who does he even think he is anyway huh?" Wakko raised his voice. Max had to chuckle. That was funny to him. It made Wakko grind his teeth.

Brain bit his lip. He could tell Wakko was allowing himself to get flustered by this person. Max wasn't even trying all that hard.

"That's why I'm here." Max decided to speak up with a more fluid tone than before. "We were originally just going to capture you guys but the boss wants to meet you. Whatever he says goes. We want him to meet you too now."

"What are you people? His sheep?" Skippy spoke up finally. He couldn't stand hearing this guy, whoever he was, talk.

"Every last one of us follows him for one reason or another. But we've all got the same goal in mind. One we all know he can reach thanks to the flawlessness of his tact and manner. It took him several years to build up just what he has here. It's just an empty looking hovel with several dozen groups of toons, lounging about with thoughts of revenge. But under the hood, we have access to quite a lot of decent things. Top secret military prototypes and devices that were kept under lock and key by the oh so generous people in charge of protecting the peace." Max giggled a bit. Even the second henchman had a chuckle at that.

Squit had an epiphany. "You used your money and credits to vi-pass them all and helped this group make off with all that stuff?" Squit blurted out, a light bulb going on.

Max snarled. "It didn't happen exactly like that. Something sort of like it…" He was remembering something fiercely irritating. He was digging his nails into the palms of his fists so hard they cut through the skin and started bleeding. He jittered but cleared his throat and continued. "Prototypes. Things like that gun you have Ms. Squirrel. You have an Acme Laboratory on your studio lot. It's affiliated with a few others like it. Acme is a big corporation and it pretty much manufactures all sorts of weapons and stuff that the military uses on a daily basis. But the hardcore stuff, those are in the labs. And the labs on the military bases? Now those are an endless treasure trove of really good stuff. And they're usually pretty huge too. Containment for them would have to be pretty huge too right? But of course, we don't want to get discovered with all this big stuff, so that adds a bullet point as to why our base is underground." Max stammered for a second there before regaining composure.

"You have bigger and badder stuff back there eh? Just itchin' to use it right?" Slappy asked.

"We stock pile it. The boss says when it's time to use it, it's all gonna be used at once… except for the jeeps. The jeeps we made off with were needed just for the sake of that invasion." Max stuck his hands into his pockets.

Wakko couldn't believe this. There was an area here that stockpiled tons of big stolen weaponry and vehicle transport systems? He had been here once. He should've at least heard someone mention it. At the very least, he could have been at least a little prepared for this…

No. He was under enough stress without blaming himself for something not his fault again.

It was time they answered for this.

"Why?" Wakko simply asked next.

"Revenge." Max said. "Other people here like to use other words for it. They like to say "justice" or "retribution". It's revenge. It's clearly just revenge." Max had to stifle a laugh.

Wakko didn't believe that fully. He knew people did awful things for the sake of trying to do what was right. There was no doubt in his mind that some of these guys were probably here because they truly wanted to make a positive difference… and were convinced that a negative forceful matter was the only option left.

To be honest, he was having a hard time seeing an alternative as well. Doing things the positive way seldom led to any kind of positive result. You usually just got stomped on and glossed over for what's been the norm for well over the length of time this industry has been around.

However, Wakko also knew better than to believe Max was looking for a positive ending to anything.

"I don't think revenge is a good enough answer." Wakko said.

"Tough." Max grumbled.

"It's not good enough the kid said. Tell us why you're all doing this and be detailed about it." Bobby snapped a bit. Seriously. The nerve of this Tiny Toon.

Max looked down at the bird and looked up at Wakko. "… Fine. Maybe some people want a little more than revenge. I guess that's technically just a motive and not a goal. The answer you want has to deal with why it was necessary to gather all those military assets and raid different areas as well as get at your studio right? Well it's simple. We're changing the system."

Everyone was silent.

"It's gonna take just a little while longer to build ourselves as bigger than the military but the boss has a sure fire plan. He knows his way around reality and myth and boy, do things get scary once you realize the truth." Max went on.

"The truth?" Scratchnsniff muttered in a questioning tone.

"What's on our lot that can help you with that? And what myth?" Rita inquired.

"My money. My connections. My boring and generic stacks of white papers that liter the desks!" Plotz listed them off on his hand.

Max kept shaking his head. "I feel sorry for you guys. None of you have a clue. It's like, the worst possible thing that could happen to innocent dumbasses like you people. Especially you Warner." Max stuck his finger out at Wakko. "Wanna know what's happening to your brother?"

Wakko's eyes bulged wide. Dot felt her heart beat faster.

"I can tell. You wanna know right. Well, it's real simple. Would you like for me to tell you? Here's a hint. It's a part of the myth the boss told us." Max's grin could had plenty of ego behind it.

Skippy stamped his foot. "What myth you goober!"

"I'm not telling! My boss wants to tell you himself. When we ran it by him that you guys were invading he told me to bring you to him. Having a Q and A with me isn't going to give you the answers you want. I've gotta respect his wishes." Max fluttered his eyes playfully. It made them all reel in anger. Especially Plotz.

Wakko was starting to sweat a bit though. He looked to the side at Dot. She had been eyeing Wakko with the same look of fear. Did they really want to know what was truly happening with Yakko?

… Yeah… of course they did. However scary the truth may be, it's necessary in order to fight for a way to save him.

"Take me to your boss. I'll hear what he has to say." Wakko said with reverence, facing Max with a new determined look.

"Yeah. Of course you will." Max grinned and turned around. "It's a really awesome tale, I gotta say. And I totally believe it too, especially since we witnessed first-hand what the boss predicted would happen to Yakko."

Predicted? He… predicted it?

They all began to follow Max as he led the way.

"What is it about? I want to know so badly." Wakko muttered, more to himself than to Max. However, Max still heard it and decided to answer.

"Boy oh boy. You're so stupid and clueless. At the very least, the subject matter the myth surrounds isn't something I should have to spoil. It's the most obvious thing ever." Max led them all down a dark and slightly dank walkway. It grew increasingly darker and more poorly lit the closer they reached the lone door at the end of the hall.

Wakko felt the atmosphere grow tense but he was just as equally feeling peeved at Max's cryptic talk.

"Why don't you just tell me since I'm SOOOO stupid huh? What does this myth center around? Huh?!" Wakko barked. Max rolled his eyes and spoke. The answer almost made Wakko's heart completely stop.

"The Water Tower."


	17. The One in the Mask

Secrets revealed. Enjoy.

* * *

_**Chapter 17: The One in the Mask**_

The door creaked open after the ridiculous amount of chains used to tightly bolt it closed were dropped. The fact that the door to the boss' room had to be chained shut with a locked door behind it was just as unsettling as it sounded. They all walked through and it shut just as fast behind them.

Max smiled as he trotted forward, ready to make this the grandest of all entrances for the sake of showing off to his boss' guests. He was probably unaware that their current opinions of him made it impossible for them to be impressed or even all that surprised by what he would do. It was still up in the air just how he got here or why some of these toons were doing what they were doing.

The plan was hazy. The motive was hazy. This boss of theirs was hazy. But Max was clearly just sleazy.

Max walked at a faster pace than the rest of them and made a motion with his finger behind them to stop. They all did so and pretty much had to force themselves to take in where they were.

This place was a lot different than the brownish, obviously dug in sections of the cave they were all at before. It was still necessary for the room to be lit of course but that was the weird part. The exact center of the room looked stacked with metal alloy that resembled a chair. Across from the large seat was a small television. That television was pretty much the only real provision of light this room was offering. Sure, there were shades of blue at the sides from two un-broken lights above, but they were incredibly dim. It seemed that whenever a light went out here, the boss didn't make it a top priority to change it.

At the top of the seat they could make out the figure. He was shrouded in the darkness that he had created for himself but he didn't really seem as though he was trying to make himself look ominous. Then again he didn't really have to.

He was wearing a large coat that stretched from his neck down to his shoes. He also had on a white mask that had makeshift holes punctured into it for the eyes. Because of the wonky handling of creation, there were cracks at the side of the holes.

What was really bothering Wakko wasn't his appearance though. It was what he was watching on the television across from him. They were all standing at an angle where they could clearly see him looking at the small TV from up on high so he could barely catch a glimpse of what was playing. However, he didn't need to. Hearing what it was had given him enough information.

Yeah, it was their show. Animaniacs.

But why sit up so high and look down at such a small television to watch it? Why wear a mask?

"Hello sir." Max spoke up, standing in the middle of the room. It looked like the flickering blue light above was giving him a spot-light. "I'm pleased to report that we have the visitors you predicted would be coming once Buster reported back to you about the success of our mission."

Dot looked to the side a bit. She was having trouble watching this scene for some odd reason. Scratchnsniff was easily intended on staring straight ahead despite his fears though. The same went for the others. A few eyes shifted of course and there were some murmurs, particularly from the Goodfeathers, about how ridiculous this place seemed to be but then again… what were they expecting?

"Yes… yes of course…" The person in the mask spoke. His voice was obviously being distorted by the mask. That had to be one of the reasons he wore it, aside from obviously not wanting his face to be seen.

The figure shifted his seat and managed to turn to face Max and the others. Max smiled and stood on one knee.

"It's always great whenever I get to see you looking at me and not the television sir. However do you not get tired of playing that show over and over again in a constant loop?" It was actually the first time Max had asked that question. It was always a constant wonder regardless if it was spoken up about or not though.

"… Tolerance and stamina." was what he said. It seemed like it was his answer. Wakko couldn't tell for some reason. It sounded like he cut himself off from a separate sentence.

"Uh-" Wakko began.

"Wakko Warner."

Wakko flinched. Max grinned. He could feel Wakko's uneasiness radiating from his body behind him. Just the way his boss talked was creepy but he had purposefully addressed Wakko. Seems he didn't have any problem meeting up with one of the people on the show he admired so much.

It was silent aside from the cartoon still playing at a low volume on the television beside him. Wakko shook his head and stepped forward. It wasn't like him to be in fear of anybody. If anything he should just be angry and hurling mallets all over. Something about this guy was compelling him to remain calm though.

Wakko looked right up at the guy and couldn't make out the movement of his eyes. The holes in the mask looked pitch black in this lighting. It didn't help that he stayed so silent after addressing his name.

"I am a really big fan of your show." He made a gesture toward his chest, putting a hand over his heart. "It really is the kind of show that makes one feel nostalgic regardless of age. It didn't end that long ago really… but I do remember the year it started. A lot of time has passed. A lot can change in that amount of time. In the world outside of your luxury existence, other toons were living out their sentence in the post-stardom era of their lives. It would seem your time has come."

Wakko looked at him and felt his heart ache.

"Now hang on." Rita spoke up suddenly. "Just because a toon's show ends doesn't mean that-"

"The young Warner didn't refute the inquiry I just made. I wonder if that means whatever it is you're about to say holds any water for him." The masked man shot back at her before she could finish.

Slappy began to scowl. Everything about this didn't seem to be in any of their favors. Still she was keeping herself from speaking. She understood that some moral ambiguity was going to be tossed around that she wouldn't like to hear or would have a problem taking in but nothing was going to be accomplished by interrupting and constantly having something contrary to say to the guy.

"I would just let the two of them have at it Ms. Cat." Slappy said to the flustered singing cat. "He wants to give us answers. Let's let him do it the way he wants to and not make waves at the freebee. I've investigated that Water Tower for decades now. Photos lined up and as the years passed it never changed. Nothing inside it did; not the pipes, not the water, nothing." She took out a set of pictures and tossed them out onto the floor.

Max leaned over and saw the changing years that were hinted by the quality of the pictures and the specified dates on each of them. He mouthed a word of approval and felt his face light up with crazed happiness.

Wakko looked behind him a bit to see these reactions and stared back at the boss. Seems he really just wanted to confront him and him only.

"Well… to answer what you said… yeah… it does seem like our time has come. No way were we going to go out without a fight though. Dot and I wouldn't and I would never expect Yakko to either. It's just the way that he did do it that bothers me." Wakko clutched at his chest. "It tortures me even… I know… I know he would never do any of what he's done. Not him. Not the real Yakko. There's a reason behind all of this. Something that being in that Water Tower must have done to him."

"… Well… you're certainly correct… about some aspects that you're thinking at least. I regret to inform you that he really would do all those things he's done." The man spoke with an as-a-matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Don't play mind games with me! You big bad villain types always gotta talk like you know me and my brother better than we do! Well, we're the Warners and we don't fall for stuff like that." Wakko raised his voice. Max chuckled at his nerve.

"Truth is very different from fiction. When the cameras are turned off a toon is very different in real life than how he is on the show he starred in. It may be a reflection of who you are to an extent but adversity in real life is different from adversity given to you through a script and a few shifting backgrounds. How nonchalant would you really be starring the Devil down if you're this uptight seeing me?" He asked, in all curiousness.

"We're not perfect. I'm not saying that we are. And I'm not saying we always have a handle over everything. Sometimes that wasn't even true on the show. But I'm not about to let you try and tell me that my brother's actions here are his own." Wakko growled. He was very much against letting this man have his way with his family any longer.

"Oh. Alright. I suppose I can't stop you from believing a lie you told yourself to make yourself feel better. However, what I say has nothing to do with my personal vendetta against you. I'm speaking the truth. Now, ignoring the fact that even if he were being brainwashed or something, they'd still be his actions because he's still the one doing them-"

Wakko felt his pupils dilate a bit. He was trying to compose himself but this was starting to not go over well.

"-And the fact of the matter is that he's doing what he does because that's what his body and mind are telling him to do."

"It's not his fault! He's doing it because he's being forced by some kind of… power that our tower has…" Wakko grimaced.

"You keep making incorrect guesses to sooth yourself. I was under the impression that you sought the truth rather than a safety net for your fragile psyche." He imposed on Wakko. The Warner grinded his teeth and began to sweat. His heart beat faster. He let out a gush of air and his knees wobbled.

This stress wasn't natural.

"Then… tell me… tell me what it is…!" Wakko grumbled.

"Yakko is acting on his true feelings."

"Don't LIE to me!"

"I have reason to lie to you? Do tell."

"…! But… Yakko…! N-No… he… told me… that day…" Wakko was flashing back to the day of the fire. "Y-Yeah… he said something about that…"

"Ah. So he informed you of the truth too? Seems you let your imagination and want for his innocence cloud even that. What did he say?" The man spoke with reverence.

"… Something about… a good side… and a bad side… and his bad side was winning. He talked like there was some sort of war going on inside his body and…" Wakko was fidgeting badly now. Why was his body so broken nowadays? So much stress and worry and other nonsense was just getting to him and he only ever calmed down when a certain comforting, babyish, or unrealistic thought passed by or when Dot encouraged him with kind, reassuring words.

Why couldn't he just face reality normally?

He forced himself to stand up straight. Despite his continued fidgeting he looked the guy dead in the eyes as he kept going. "… Yeah… there's some kind of struggle going on in his body and… he said that… all of what he did was from the bad part of him. It was all…"

Dot and the others watched Wakko curiously. This was the first time they had heard of any of this. Max already knew what was going on though, so he found this miraculously amusing.

"… It was all… stuff that deep down… the bad part of him really wanted to do…" Wakko spoke up. There was one singular gasp that came from Dot behind him. The rest of them looked just as shocked, if not a little frightened by what that meant.

"So you acknowledge that what he's doing is something that he's wanted to do?" The man said.

"… The… The bad side of him-!"

"-_Is_ still a side of him is it not?"

Wakko looked down at his feet, tearing up slightly. "Yes." He muttered, wiping it away. Wakko remembered the words Yakko had said. They were as clear as day. He had no mental condition. He wasn't having thoughts and feelings put into him that weren't already there. Yakko said it was… something that was making his evil side overtake his good side and act upon those dark thoughts and feelings that were within him. The things his good side kept harbored under control were being given free range because his good side was being depleted and destroyed. Yakko had described it as…

"… A curse…?" Wakko spoke out loud.

Everyone looked at each other and then back at the Warner. Max even looked a little surprised. How did he know that it was a curse?

The man didn't show any signs of being surprised that Wakko knew that though. "Yes. It is a curse. Well, depending on whom you ask it can be considered that. For other toons who really, really want unrelenting revenge against the world for their plight, it might be considered a blessing."

"Yakko… I know Yakko isn't that kind of person. That _isn't_ denial." Wakko shot back. "I know that if he had to choose, he'd come back to us in a heartbeat."

"Probably… but then again, he might just do it because he felt he had to…" The man spoke on.

"If it's for our sake, I at least know where his heart is." Wakko ushered back, straight faced and serious. He didn't let that remark get to him.

"… Impressive reaction you had that time. Ha. Well, than, allow me to go on. The natural word for what's going on with your brother is that he has been cursed. When I found out I simply could not resist pushing his buttons. Admittedly, I played a tiny hand in helping his development along by urging those teenage goons to egg him on. Capturing you and having them all torture you wasn't anything personal. I did hear your screams though. It was a little jarring hearing the screams you had of today echoing over the episode of the show I was playing that broadcasted your laughing of the past."

Wakko shut his eyes and squeezed them tightly. He felt the memories coming back but now really wasn't the time to freak out. He knew this guy was doing this kind of talk on purpose. He just wanted to screw with him. And it was working. Really well and really quickly in fact...

"… You know…" He spoke again.

This guy…

"Me and your brother…"

Wakko curled and uncurled his fist.

"… We're so much alike, it's almost disgusting…"

WHAM!

Wakko slammed the ground in front of him with his mallet. It cracked the floor and made the people behind him jump. The masked man stopped talking but he didn't flinch.

"That. IS. ENOUGH!" Wakko shouted out loud, his pupils shrunken and his face a tint of red. "I am sick and tired of you jerks giving me the run around whenever I try and talk to you! You think you can just do whatever you want to me! I'm your plaything right? Me, my brother, and my sister are just children to screw around with huh? You saw us on the show and thought it'd be waaaaay cool to tick us off and show us up because we did it to other people on there all the time! Well screw you!" Wakko ran right up to him and jumped straight at the guy's high seat, with his mallet in full swing.

The man's arm lurched out and grabbed Wakko by the neck from where he sat. Instantly Wakko gagged and dropped it to the ground.

"Wakko!" Dot screamed.

Slappy was about to charge in but Max got in the way.

"Move you pint sized-" Slappy started.

"I'm saving his life. Be grateful. The second you charge him, you'll be given free range to be treated like a threat. In Wakko's positon all the boss has to do is squeeze once and his neck snaps. But that can be avoided if you guys stay put and don't give him any more reason to think of you guys as dangers." Max grinned with his arms splayed out.

"… Why… you…" Slappy grumbled.

"Alright. We won't move." Plotz interjected, feeling rather complacent and calm despite how riled up he was earlier. "Just be sure to put the boy down. You hear me, Mr. Mask?" He shouted past Max.

Wakko struggled in the guy's arm. He was kicking back and forth, sweating, and gasping for air.

"I feel compelled… to snap your neck right now… I could just kill you… your brother is already going off the deep end. It wouldn't take much to push him completely over it and have him complete what the Water Tower started with him 60 years ago. Six days should be enough. I heard the news. He's going to be killed right?"

Wakko started to droop and his arms grew weak. His struggling was lowering and his friends looked on in concern. Even Max started to doubt if he would let him go.

"Good. That should be more than enough time. I'd kill him myself but that'd just ruin everything. I hate being shackled to a time table… but I need to wait until my men who took over your studio lot confirm_ that the tower is ready for me._ If they call in time before his execution than I'll just let them kill him. If the execution date comes and it still isn't ready, I'll have to make sure he gets rescued. Such a troublesome matter I have to contend to, wouldn't you agree?"

Wakko gagged and slumped completely in the guy's arm, aside from one hand that grasped at the Masked man's arm.

"Oh I'm sorry. You don't know what I'm talking about do you? You were about to let me explain before you attacked me correct? I'm being generous. All I expected was for you to take a few jabs at your expense for the sake of letting you know what was going on but you couldn't even do that. Pathetic."

Wakko winced in pain again.

"Cooperate. Do I have your promise that you will stand by and listen…?"

Wakko nodded.

The man tossed Wakko to the ground. He immediately started to cough and clutch his throbbing throat. Dot rushed over to him and tried to see if he was okay. He waved her off despite that though which only worried her more.

He hacked and coughed a bit as he stumbled onto his unsteady legs. "… P-Please… I-I'm sorry… make whatever joke or crack at me you want… j-just tell me…"

Dot winced herself now. Her brother sounded so helpless. He was begging this guy for information.

"Had you stood there and listened you wouldn't have even needed to beg. Guess it's just in your nature to be taken advantage of and humiliated."

Wakko shut his eyes and took the blow of those words. He gritted his teeth and stayed where he was. "… Y…yeah… yes it is… just … please… Y-Yakko… is… "

"The Curse of the Water Tower is what you'd call a rather creepy phenomenon. It's one that most wouldn't think possible and naturally wouldn't believe should they be assured of its authenticity. But it came to me. I know because I hold hatred of the studios and the entertainment business that warrants me able to see it. Not everyone can. Special conditions need to be reached in order for it happen. I'm a perfect candidate… but it chose Yakko instead. Why? Because he lived within it most likely…" The man slumped back in his seat.

"… Me and Dot… we lived in the tower too… this curse or whatever didn't affect us because… we didn't have enough hatred?" Wakko asked, trying to understand.

"The three of you shared the residence together… but only one of you resented your situation and the people who put you in it hard enough to be affected by that thing's curse. Because things remain constant within the Water Tower, it didn't start to affect him until he left it. You didn't realize it when the show began but overtime, Yakko grew more and more sickly the more he tried to do good. It's a curse that enhances the evil thoughts and desires one harbors within them and has it take over and completely eradicate the good thoughts and desires they had. And the more he tries to act good, the sicker he gets." He explained wholeheartedly.

"… So… that's why Dot and I are fine…" Wakko muttered. Dot grimaced. It felt weird knowing that they were living inside a cursed water tower for 60 years. That's not something you find out and don't get a case of the shivers afterward over.

"Chances are if any one of you were cursed, the other two of you would've been fine. Only one can be affected by it at a time." The man said back.

"Eh? Why is that?" Wakko asked with wide-eyed confusion.

"They only need one vessel to enhance the hatred of." He said back.

Wakko blinked. Did he just say _they?_ Who are _they?_

"What about that thing makes it so that stuff inside it never ages?" Slappy interjected.

"Ms. Squirrel-" Plotz began.

"Hush. Mr. Boss man shouldn't have a problem with a simple question if he's explaining things anyway…" Slappy said.

The man looks past Wakko and over to her. "Not at all. I was about to answer that next…" he looks back down at Wakko. "… That tower acts as a dead zone. A gathering of spirits. A passage to the afterlife. Time does not flow for those among the realm of the dead."

"What?!" Slappy, Plotz, and Brain shouted out at the same time. Wakko and Dot had frozen looks of astonishment on their faces.

"… That tower _did _look like a tombstone…" Squit murmured to himself.

"It's a passage that I'm waiting to be fully ripe so that it can open up within the Water Tower. Once it does only the vessel they've chosen may enter and gain access to their powers of manifested hatred and possession." He clutched his hands tightly. "I want it so much for myself. I hate this world and the studio heads who govern the fate of the toons who all simply wished to entertain the masses and enjoy the lives they had. To make people smile and laugh was the goal… but then you reach the end of your rope and you truly see what life has in store for you…"

Wakko stared at him, shocked. He couldn't actually mean…

The man stood up from his seat and jumped from his elevated height down to Wakko's level. "And once you see the devastation that awaits you, you learn to live with it, cursing the monsters that took your life away from you… or you _die._ Whether it be by suicide or natural causes… or even just depression, early graves are all the rage for toons this day in age especially."

Wakko shook where he stood.

"And their rage and anger and hatred boils deeper and harder and it carries on after they die toward the afterlife. And the collective amount of tortured and angry souls amass and continued to do so more and more. They couldn't fully ascend because their hatred and lust for revenge tied them to this world. Your face tells me you're starting to understand. You know who _they_ are now don't you?"

Wakko didn't say anything or even change his now stunned, yet horrified expression.

"They are indeed a massive collection of toon spirits harboring hatred… a hatred so strong and so deep that it plunged itself into a symbol of something that represented the misfortune that befell them all in life. You know what that symbol is…"

Wakko kept the same expression. "… Our… Water Tower…"

"That tower stands in the Warner Brothers studio lot as a symbol of the ruination of their lives. Their spirits aren't made of anything tangible. It's nothing but hatred and vile anger that connects them to the tower. The spirits aren't made of souls or spectral gas. They just became a manifestation of hatred when they died. They all cobbled together and latched onto the water tower; possessing the large item that represented what they were now."

Wakko fell to his knees.

The room was silent for quite a while. The spirits of Cartoon stars. The ones that laughed and joked around and played about... and wanted to make people laugh... just a giant ghostly ball of otherworldly possessive hatred...

No one continued to talk. Letting something like that sink in was hard. Max was the one to speak up again.

"Ahahaha. Toons die a lot and it's starting to happen more frequently then before. I wonder how many of them transferred into manifestations of cursed hatred or whatever." Max grinned. "If I were to die, would I become one? If I could, I'd take over the president and make him go on a personal killing spree. Wouldn't that be a cool newspaper headline? President goes on literal killing spree? It'd be history in the making!" Max laughed.

"No_ one_ person can die and leave behind a mass of hatred strong enough to possess someone. They all had to come together as a singular unit to vi-pass the barriers the afterlife created and latch onto an item in the living world so that they could stay there. It doesn't work for spirits to just float around without attachment to something of the living world. That's why we all have bodies. They serve as vessels for souls. Just as Yakko serves as a vessel for their hatred." The masked man said.

"… What?" Wakko looked up, teary eyed. "But… you said that they latched onto the Water Tower! Why would they need my brother?!"

"Idiot." The man actually kicked Wakko to the ground. He gasped and grabbed his arm.

"Hey!" Skippy went to go forward but Slappy pulled him back.

"You don't think do you? What's latching on to the Water tower going to do aside from keeping them from floating away from the living world? The Water Tower can't feel. It has no feelings. It has no hatred. Their manifestation of hatred longs for revenge. They need a vessel of a person who harbors thoughts of anger and revenge so they can take it over and complete their goals together as a singular unit within the body of one person from the living who hates this world and it's practices hard enough to encompass them all." He was raising his voice.

"That… that can't be Yakko…!" Wakko stood back up, twitching.

"That IS Yakko. They chose him! It wouldn't work if you didn't have enough hatred or a lust for revenge strong enough to sate those wronged spirits. There is no debating this." He stood staring down at Wakko.

Wakko clutched his head. "… It has to be… because he had the most hate out of the three of us… we were all trapped INSIDE that thing!"

"That I agree with!" He said back. Wakko looked back up at him. "I harbor much more hatred of this world, its people, and its disgusting practices than your brother does. I truly am a fan of your show and I can vouch for Yakko when I say I'd be a much stronger and more suitable vessel for the spirits seeking revenge than he would."

"… Y… You…" Wakko muttered, sitting perfectly still. Slappy looked disgruntled.

"The tower was taken over by a collective mass of lust for revenge… from the afterlife… " Slappy reached down and scooped up her pictures of the tower. Year after year it stayed the same. Possessed by spirits and harboring a ghostly aurora of vengeance. "The tower only acts as something that connects the world of the living and the world of the dead. It was being taken over by those spirits and because of that it functioned like something_ from_ the afterlife. Things in the afterlife never age or grow old…"

"Which explains why the Warners never aged when they were trapped inside of it…" Brain murmured.

"Ohhhh… you know Brain, I was this close to giving up and saying a Wizard did it." Pinky expressed.

"I wasn't that far behind you Pinky… still… it's all rather hard to take in…" Brain grumbled.

"I'm not about to stand here and wait for you to accept it." The boss said. "I sit here and re-watch these episodes over and over again. It got to the point where the eye strain was too much and I had to elevate my seat to view it from far off. I refused to allow any light to come from anywhere but that television screen. I couldn't let anything, not even the smallest glimmer of light, distract me from my goal. You Warners don't know who I am but I know you all well. You play a big part in why I'm doing all this. You all are a great motivational tool and reminder of what I lost. How ironic that fate deals me this hand where the death of your brother ushers in my chance for full-on revenge." He blurted out.

"WHAT?!" Everyone tensed up. Wakko wobbled on his feet but remained composed but still surprised.

"That manifestation of hatred. That lust for revenge. The powers of the afterlife that will be granted to Yakko once the Water Tower is _ready_. I want it all for myself! It belongs to me and I cannot allow him to keep it!" He said.

"Good! Yakko doesn't want it either!" Dot stepped forward.

"It doesn't matter what the old Yakko thinks. The point is that the new Yakko is relishing in the evil that's encased in his body now. Try to visualize what it is I'm saying. He'll become a full on monster that's completely overtaken by hatred without a single ounce of goodness left in him. The Water Tower is still connected to the afterlife and once Yakko's curse strips away all the good left within him the tower will be ready to accept him and open a portal to them. Than all he'll have to do is return to it and all the manifested spirits will fully and completely take his body over and they'll use it to enact revenge." The masked man explained.

"The spirits aren't inside Yakko yet?" Wakko asked.

"No you imbecile. They only cursed him. I told you that. It's just a spell. A power of spiritual persuasion that was granted to them when they took the form they have now. A passage from our world to their area in the afterlife will be created _only_ when Yakko's good side is completely done away with. Only once that passage is open is when_ I can kill him._ They will need a new vessel to take over and that vessel shall be me. I don't need to be cursed in order for my evil side to take hold. I'm perfectly willing to allow it to happen. The spirits have their eyes set on Yakko though, so it _can't_ open until _he's_ fully evil. Get it now? _When_ he dies is important to me. If he dies_ before_ he turns fully evil then the portal won't open inside the Water Tower and he'll die as their permanent already-selected vessel. When he turns fully evil, the portal will open. _Then_ I can kill him and go through it so that they can re-select me as their vessel. It all hinges on making sure that portal opens. Anyone can go into it and be taken over by the spirits so long as the portal opens."

"Their vessel can't die _before_ he turns completely evil or else the portal will stay closed permanently?" Wakko asked.

"They only have one shot at it before the portal opens. If their vessel dies before it opens than that's it. Their chance is over. However, if someone with enough hatred can wander into the portal through the Water Tower after it opens they can have as many new vessels as they want no matter how many times it dies. The key here is making sure someone turns evil so that the passage can open. Once its open, anyone can enter. But it needs to open first. He can't die before he's fully realized or else it won't open. Understand now?" The stood tall over Wakko.

"I… I do…"

"Explain it back to me."

The request surprised Wakko… but he did so anyway...

"… Angry vengeful ghosts took over our tower and cursed my big brother… because of that he's turning evil… and when he turns completely evil a portal between our world and the afterlife will open up inside it so he can go into it and let the spirits take him over so they can be free to do whatever they want over here. Yakko is their unwilling vessel… and if their vessel dies before the portal opens they won't be able to get another chance to do this again. But if their vessel dies after the portal is open, any one person can go into it and get possessed by the spirits if they have enough hatred…"

"Now you're up to speed. Fantastic." He said to Wakko.

"No. Not entirely…" Wakko said back.

"Hmm?" The man looked a bit taken a back by that.

"If you're telling the truth…"

"And I am…"

"… Then why do you want it so bad? What's going to happen when they get released into the world through your body?" Wakko asked.

"… Loads of people will die of course. Anarchy. Towns will burn to the ground. Cities will be destroyed. People will go on random killing sprees toward any one person they see. It's been building up for so long in that tower. People who've been near it started to go crazy and started killing random people because the spirits inside it are getting restless. It has the power of suggestion. That killing spree so many years ago was due to the tower. It "suggested" that everyone lose their minds and kill everyone. And the method of choice was severing their heads." He explained.

Slappy in particular looked astonished by that.

"The method was severing their heads…" Skippy spoke up next to his aunt. "Oh wow… but why that particular method?"

"Heh. The spirits of the afterlife have a peculiar sense of humor. They chop off the heads of people because the head is where imagination is born. The kind of imagination that studio heads put behind the creation of popular cartoon shows…" He laughed.

Wakko pointed at him.

"Last question! WHO are you? Why do you know so much?! Who told you all this when no one else in the entire world could've known? And why did you just tell us all this?!" Wakko demanded.

"… That was more than one final question brat." He said back.

"Don't get smart with me." Wakko ordered.

"Where did that daring demeanor come from all of a sudden?" He challenged back.

The guy took in a deep breath and spoke again when Wakko just continued to stare. "… Yes… well, as for why I told you all this it's rather simple. Should you choose to assist me, my colleges would need to know all that. We can't work together without a common goal in mind."

"Heheh. That's right." Max chimed in.

"Screw you! Both of you! Why in the world would we help you?" Wakko asked.

"We both need to reach that prison. You want to save your brother but my intention is to kill him. However, I cannot kill him before the portal opens and if this six days isn't enough, I may need your help rescuing him." He explained.

"And your goons can't do that? You can't just kill us and send them after Yakko?" Wakko asked.

"Wakko! Hey!" Rita shouted at him.

"No. That isn't possible. The majority of my men are at the Warner Brothers studio and they need to remain there to both protect it and keep watch of the Water Tower. I'm short on numbers right now and it's far smarter to act upon a common goal we have than to just send my remaining grunts out to handle it. I'm sure they could but this is much safer. It's not like any of what I told you helps you stop my plans after all. There are only three outcomes. Yakko gets saved by you only to be possessed and becomes the seed of anarchy and destruction. Or he gets killed by my hand and I take on the spirits and their power myself when the portal opens after he turns evil. Or he gets killed in the execution before the portal opens and before he turns evil and no one gets the powers of the afterlife." He explained.

"Y-Yakko dying would ruin your plans for that third option though right?" Wakko remarked feeling a sting of desperation well up.

"Oh? You're saying you'd allow the death of your brother than? Silly me. I told you all that under the assumption that you wouldn't allow that to happen. I guess I can't underestimate how cold hearted a Warner can be. Looks like my plans are in ruins." He stared directly at Wakko's face, searching for the reaction he knew he would have.

Extreme despair. There it was, written all over Wakko's face. Of course he wouldn't just LET them kill Yakko…

"… I'm… I'm not going to work with you… we'll steal the items we need and do it ourselves!" Wakko said.

"And you think telling me that you're planning on robbing my hideout will help you accomplish your task?" He gestured to the side with his cloaked arm.

"You're not an idiot. I can tell that. If we refused, and we DO, than what else were you going to conclude that we were going to do?" Wakko spoke with a bit of a slight stammer. He was clearly even more flustered than before. This new info didn't sooth him in the least. A cloud of cold, scary death loomed over everyone.

Speaking of cold…

"Why was the Water Tower so cold?" Wakko asked suddenly.

"More questions? It seems you've mistake what the word 'final' means…" the one in the mask retorted. "It's not hard to figure out. The aurora of death is freezing cold. Your tower is basically acting as a zone for the dead. Icy cold air comes with the territory." He explained. "As for the other questions you asked me… _why_ do I know all this… and _who_ I am… that's not anything you need to know."

"Hey now-!" Wakko grinded his teeth.

"I'm not going to air all of my dirty laundry for you. I only told you what you needed to know to make sense of why I needed you to assist me. If you want to know who I am…" He pointed his thumb at the mask on his face.

Wakko stared intensely at him as he did so.

"Then come over here and take off my mask for yourself. I dare you to try."


End file.
